The Life of a Demon Attorney
by Je Love You
Summary: Everyone has a life. Everyone has things to do or people to see, socially and professionally. Miles Edgeworth has a courtroom, with truths to find and verdicts to declare. It's all he knows. But people want to take that away from him.
1. All Work and No Play

The Life of a Demon Attorney

**A/N**: Hey guys, I've been replaying all my Phoenix Wright games recently and thought I'd take a shot at writing a fanfic for the series. I'm usually a writer for Harry Potter or Alice in Wonderland, 2010, but I love Edgeworth immensely, especially after his last game, so I thought I'd give him a fanfic! This will be a romance fanfic for Edgeworth, but not solely so. There will be mystery/suspense in the later chapters, seeing as it _is_ a Phoenix Wright fanfic. ;D

This takes place after Miles Edgeworth: Investigations but before the time of Apollo Justice. Since this is before Apollo Justice, Trucy is not fifteen yet, she is twelve; Phoenix and Edgeworth are thirty. Kay Faraday, consequently, is three years older, and twenty.

Enjoy!

The usual disclaimer applies.

* * *

Chapter 1: All Work and No Play

Miles Edgeworth sighed as he pushed a button, resulting in the automatic rolling down the window of his red sports car.

"Don't you ever think this car gives the impression that you're compensating for something?"

"No," he replied blandly, placing his hand on the shift and switching gears. He sped down the highway as his passenger held onto the crash handle.

"Well, it does," the passenger laughed, but Edgeworth's face remained stoic as he cut off a garbage truck. "Where's the fire?"

"Wright, really. You should be more concerned for your daughter."

"Hey, Trucy's a big girl. What could happen at her school?"

"Excuse me? If you remember correctly, Wright, you pulled me away from a full day's worth of work to give you an emergency ride. You said Trucy was in trouble."

"Ah, I was just too lazy to bus," Phoenix said, and Edgeworth sent him his trademark side-glare.

"_What?_"

"Hey, relax! You can't stop on the highway and kick me out! Besides, I did you a favour! You work too much, and you needed a day off. We're going to dinner tonight, and I wanted you to come-"

"You're not seriously inviting me to a dinner with you and your twelve-year old daughter?"

"Come on, Miles-"

"Edgeworth," he corrected between grit teeth.

"Edgeworth, Trucy hasn't been living with me for all that long and I'm doing my best, okay? I want her to have a good time."

"Not a long time? She's been with you since she was eight, hasn't she? That's four years."

"That's not a long time to a dad," Phoenix countered, and Edgeworth scoffed.

"Come on, Maya will be meeting us for dinner later, and I thought we could catch up. She hasn't met Trucy yet."

Edgeworth sighed as he made a sharp left turn, causing Phoenix to yell and cling more tightly to the crash handle.

"It's boring without you in the courtroom, Wright," he said, out of the blue. Phoenix, once he was over the shock, blinked.

"What?"

"You heard me. The victories are too easy."

"Are you still pursuing every guilty verdict, or have you finally figured out the true meaning to being a prosecutor?" Phoenix asked, and the corner of Edgeworth's lips pulled up in a smirk.

"I pursue the truth now, Wright."

This was the first time in about two years that Edgeworth had seen Phoenix Wright. Since he lost his attorney badge for falsifying evidence, Edgeworth had never found an excuse to see him again. What with leaving and returning to L.A. all the time, he rarely had enough time to see Dick Gumshoe, his not-so-trusty detective and assistant.

Until now. Miles Edgeworth was back for good.

"So… Trucy is okay?" Edgeworth asked, and Phoenix smirked.

"Well, I never said that. Maybe she fell and broke her arm, then you'll be glad you drove me."

Edgeworth pulled into the schoolyard property, slowing considerably before finding a parking spot in the Visitor's Area. The two men got out, and Edgeworth looked around.

"She goes to school here?" he asked, arching a brow. "How could you afford a place like this?"

The property was vast, with at least five different buildings and a large Church towards the end of the lot. He knew of it, though he hadn't personally attended it. They were at _Immaculate Conception_, one of the finest private schools in the district. If he were ever to have kids, he would send them here, too.

"I win a lot of poker games," Phoenix said with a shrug. "Plus, Trucy's new agency brings in a lot of money."

"I can't believe you make enough of a living playing poker," Edgeworth scoffed, disregarding the possibility that a child's Talent Agency could actually bring in enough profit. Phoenix grinned beneath his turquoise cap.

"I'll play you sometime, Edgeworth, and I'll kick your butt."

"Daddy!"

A young girl of about twelve ran up to the two of them, a small backpack slung over one shoulder. Her short, brown hair was tied up in a ponytail, and she had what looked like a magician's cape draped over her school uniform.

"Trucy!" Phoenix laughed, giving her a hug and ruffling her hair. Trucy laughed before looking at Edgeworth.

"Um. Who's he?"

"Trucy, this is Mr. Edgeworth. He and I used to battle in court."

"Cool!"

Trucy bowed her head with a big grin before reaching her gloved hand out to Edgeworth. He sent Phoenix a look before humouring the young pre-teen and shaking it.

"You're the first man I know who wears girly colours, Mr. Edgeworth." Phoenix bit his lip to hold back a laugh as a sudden look of shock passed over Edgeworth's pale face.

"It's… it's burgundy," he insisted.

"I like your ruffles," she said with another nod, and Edgeworth glared at Phoenix before looking back to Trucy.

"It's called a cravat, Trucy."

"Uh oh, Trucy," Phoenix said suddenly, and Trucy looked up at him. "What did you do?" he asked, and Trucy bowed her head in shame. Confused, Edgeworth looked over his shoulder, where Phoenix's gaze was directed. One of the teachers was walking out of the nearest building, straight towards them.

"Mr. Wright, correct?" the teacher said, and Edgeworth took a step back, his eyes widening in shock. None of them seemed to notice.

"Yes, that's right," Phoenix answered. "Is Trucy in trouble?"

"Yes, unfortunately. I'm a T.A. helping Mr. Beretworth's Grade 7 class, and during recess I was supervising. Trucy made one of the third graders cry today." Her voice was professional, polite, with a subtle undertone of amusement to it.

"Trucy!" Phoenix scolded. "How could you?"

"I… I just wanted to show them I could make their pet hamster disappear. I didn't think I wouldn't be able to get it back," she said through watery eyes.

"Nonetheless, Trucy's magic tricks, while fascinating, could be dangerous when performed upon her peers, especially with lack of practice." Edgeworth couldn't sit back anymore. This woman barely sounded like herself. He stepped into her field of view.

"How wonderful to see you again, Miss Faraday, or have you already forgotten me?"

At that point Edgeworth had regained his composure, and that look of calm collectiveness was on his face, smirk tugging at the right corner of his lips. The look on the woman's face immediately fell into one of shock.

"Edgey?"

"Edgey?" Phoenix repeated behind snickers. He was immediately reminded of Wendy Oldbag. Trucy fought the urge to laugh, too, probably because it was an all-around terrible nickname for Edgeworth.

"Oh my gosh, Edgeworth, it _is_ you! How did I not recognize you?!"

"My goodness, you've grown. How are you doing, Kay Faraday?" he asked in that all-knowing drawl, and Kay broke out into a grin. Trucy stared at Edgeworth as though she had never seen him before.

"I'm doing well! I realized that the best way to find the truth is to go to its source: the children! They're our future, as they say, and if they learn the true value of honesty, then there will be no need to have to steal so many truths in the future."

Edgeworth smirked at Kay's answer. He had met Kay Faraday twice before: once, when she was younger, and he was meant to debut in court as a prosecutor. After that brief appearance, he hadn't seen her again until she was seventeen, when she successfully helped him escape from a kidnapping situation and aided him in some of his investigations. She was a determined teenager, very adamant about 'stealing' the hidden truths in the world and following in the footsteps of the Yatagarasu.

Her hair was just as long as it was back then, though it was left down. Instead of the interesting outfit she had worn as a teenager, she was in a simple, sleeveless blouse and pencil skirt. She looked very pretty now, but not like the charismatic teen he once knew.

"How old are you now?" Kay asked him with that mischievous grin. "Eighty?"

Trucy immediately giggled.

"He has the hair for it," she said, making Kay and Phoenix laugh.

Edgeworth glanced at Phoenix, who sent him a worthless smile. _Having fun?_ The mocking question was written all over the ex-defense attorney's expression.

"I'm twenty-nine," Edgeworth said, and Phoenix scoffed.

"As if, Edgeworth! You're thirty!"

"What?" Edgeworth glanced at Phoenix. "I think I would know my own…" Edgeworth trailed off, Phoenix's words finally striking him.

"You _must_ be old if you've forgotten your own birthday, Edgeworth. Why do you think I was going to take you, Trucy, and Maya out tonight?"

Edgeworth looked speechless.

He had completely forgotten it was his birthday today!

"Well," Kay said with a smirk. "Happy birthday. I'm turning twenty-one myself, but not until next month."

"Hey," Phoenix said, and Edgeworth immediately noticed the look on his face. It looked as though he suddenly had an idea – and his ideas usually meant bad things for Edgeworth.

"Why don't you join us for dinner tonight, Miss Faraday? We can discuss Trucy's proper punishment in detail while also celebrating Edgeworth's senility!"

_I'm not old, _Edgeworth found himself thinking.

"May I ask though," Phoenix went on, "How you two know each other?"

"That," Kay said to Phoenix as she glanced at Edgeworth affectionately, "Is a long story."

* * *

Kay had agreed to dinner, of course, much to Trucy's delight. While Trucy was not the happiest child for getting into trouble, she liked Miss Faraday and found her fun to be around. Kay was always willing to show her a trick or two and Trucy was more than delighted to return the favour with a magic trick of her own. She also held the hope that if Miss Faraday joined them for dinner, she wouldn't receive a detention. Kay insisted upon going home and changing first, and Phoenix immediately offered up Edgeworth as a ride.

"But- but Wright!" Edgeworth had protested. "You had me drive you all the way up here to pick up your daughter, and-"

"We walk home and stop by the ice cream shop on the way to the apartment," Phoenix smirked. "So you can take Miss Faraday home. Get ready and we'll meet you on Main Street and Burrard at six thirty. Don't be late!"

Edgeworth finally realized Phoenix Wright's true intentions in having him drive him to Trucy's school. Somehow, he had found out about Kay Faraday and brought him here. Why, Edgeworth wanted to know, did Phoenix do this, out of the blue after two years of zero contact? And what was the intention behind it? Did he truly think he didn't have enough fun and just wanted him to get out more?

"You have quite the car," Kay said from where she sat upon the leather upholstery. Edgeworth rested his hand on the gearshift.

"Thanks," he said, his gaze focused on the road.

"I guess Prosecutors make a lot of money, huh?"

"You could say that," he said with a small smirk.

"You ever think you could survive just on the simple things in life?" Kay asked, and Edgeworth finally spared a glance out of her out of the corner of his eye.

"I _am_ simple," he tried to say, and Kay laughed.

"Yeah, right. Wait until you get to my place. I'll show you simple."

It took them half an hour to get to Kay's flat from the school, and Edgeworth silently wondered just how early she had to wake up to catch a bus or a taxi to arrive her to work on time, since she clearly had no car. He pulled into the lot with ease, and they rode up the elevator in silence to Kay's room.

"Your elevator takes you straight into your room?" he asked, eyes widening slightly. "Isn't that dangerous? What if someone pushes the button of the wrong floor?"

"The residents in this building all have specific card keys. Once you slide it in, it takes you to the right floor," she said, and Edgeworth grimaced.

"If you say so."

He stepped into her flat. It was one large room, as most flats were, her bed pushed against the corner. It was bright and colourful, albeit a bit small (he was used to living in a suite with more than one room, after all), but he couldn't imagine Kay living anywhere else.

"Was this your father's place?" he asked, and Kay nodded.

"Yes. He left it to me after… you know."

Edgeworth pressed his lips in a thin line as Kay ran to the dresser beside her bed.

"Er- no offense or anything, Edgey, but do you think you could turn around while I change?"

Ah, right.

"Of course."

He turned, and found himself facing her wall-mounted television. Above it was a shelf, and his eyes lingered on the figurines. The bottom half of the shelf was covered with Steel Samurai figurines, and the top half was covered with Jammin' Ninja figurines. He found himself counting how many of her figurines he owned in his own apartment. He could hear the rustling of clothes, and even the beeping of some sort of appliance behind him. She was lucky he had such self-control. Phoenix Wright would have turned around by now, intrigued by all the noises.

"Okay," she finally called out, several minutes later. "I'm done!"

He turned to face her, stepping back in shock.

"You're done getting ready?!" He had expected her to just be decent and dressed, but still have to apply make-up or do her hair or something.

"Well, yeah," Kay said, giggling. "It doesn't take much for a girl to get ready."

She contradicted every single date he had ever had. Not that he'd had many. Kay's long black hair, usually straight, was in large curls that framed her face, and she wore a simple pink and white dress, complete with short, dark blue gloves. It was Kay, but… she looked like an adult. It was different.

"Well… you look lovely," he said awkwardly, and Kay smirked.

"Well that's a first. You sure your boyfriend would appreciate you saying that?"

"My- my _what?_" Edgeworth's usually calm demeanor fell into shambles as Kay so casually tossed him a large, cold, green can that read "Iced Green Tea" along the side. He caught it, inspecting it with a quirked brow. Was he supposed to drink out of this can? Did she really expect him to?

"What?" Kay asked. "I'm not stupid. You're dating Trucy's dad, right?"

Edgeworth was suddenly hunched over the coffee table, hand clenched into a fist on the surface, a wrinkle in his brow.

"K-Kay!" he exclaimed, appalled, and Kay giggled.

"Hit a nerve, did I?" she said, jumping onto the couch in front of his coffee table and taking a large sip of her own iced green tea. "It's okay, you can tell me. I had an inkling from when I first met you. Who else wears a red suit? And you barely acknowledged all the women that fawned over you when I helped you with your investigations. Lauren was quite pretty, so I-"

"Burgundy," he found himself saying again, interrupting her pointless ramble. "It's a burgundy suit."

"Is that what you get away with calling it?"

"I'm not gay, Kay," he said, and Kay looked up at him with that smirk.

"Uh huh, Edgeworth."

"I'm not!"

Kay took a moment to take in his expression. After a few moments, that smirk was wiped off her face, and she suddenly looked guilty. He was actually telling the truth!

"Oh. Oh! I'm sorry, I thought- Er – well, how's your wife, then?"

"I'm… not married," Edgeworth said, regaining his composure and crossing his arms. One finger began to tap his upper arm as he looked down at Kay, sitting on the couch. He looked less than amused.

"Then, your girlfriend," Kay tried again.

"I'm not seeing anyone right now."

Kay stayed silent for a few moments before standing up and facing Edgeworth. She was at least a head shorter than him.

"WHAT!" she exclaimed, and he stepped back due to the loud volume of her voice. "You're not seeing anybody? Mr. Edgeworth, you're thirty! You should be married with like three kids by now! Even my dad had me by the time he was thirty!"

Edgeworth took another step away from Kay.

"H- hey! My personal life is none of your business!"

Kay crossed her arms.

"Oh God, Edgeworth, please tell me you've at least had sex. A relationship? Anything?"

"…" He'd had... _dates._ But he wasn't one for one-night stands.

"_Edgeworth!_"

"I don't-" Edgeworth closed his eyes, his finger tapping incessantly. "I don't have the time for such trivial matters. I'm very busy, Kay. I've been busy since I decided I would become a prosecutor. I'm only here right now because Wright made me think Trucy was in danger, and that somehow led to my birthday dinner."

"She wasn't in danger, but she sure is going to get detention. How do you replace a child's pet?" Kay shook her head at the thought of dealing with the student with the now missing hamster, but soon she was grabbing Edgeworth by the shoulders.

"Would you be so kind as to not cling to my personage?" he asked uncomfortably.

"Edgeworth. You need a life. _Stat._ You can't be all work and no play!"

"Excuse me, Kay, but I've been living my life for thirty years and it's going quite-"

"Edgeworth." Kay said. "Franziska von Karma. You told me about her, and how her dad was your mentor."

"Yes, and?"

"That man was scary and as successful as Hell, but even _he_ found the time to have and raise a daughter! I'm not saying you should have kids or anything, but you need some kind of social life outside of Gummy, as great as a guy as he may be. There is more to the world than the Court!" Edgeworth knew that. He had gone on leave several times already! … Though, now that he thought about it, all his absences were meant to discover what being a prosecutor truly meant.

"You… you still speak with Gumshoe?"

"We e-mail each other all the time! And trust me, he agrees with me."

Suddenly Edgeworth realized how Phoenix had found out about Kay Faraday. He recalled Gumshoe saying something about Phoenix Wright's new e-mail a few days prior.

"And guess what?" Kay said, crossing her arms. "Even Gumshoe is dating someone right now. You're officially lower than Gumshoe."

"Now Kay, didn't your father ever teach you that you don't _have_ to be with somebody? It's bad to be dependent?"

"Of course you don't have to," Kay scoffed. "But you haven't been with _anyone! _You have no life outside of your Prosecutor's Office! That's not normal."

"…"

"Oho," Kay chuckled, smirking deviously. "Tonight's going to be fun. We have much catching up to do, Prosecutor Edgeworth."

* * *

Edgeworth found himself driving to the restaurant much earlier than six thirty, upon Kay's insistence of course. They would sit at the bar, she said, before the rest of their party arrived, and they would just chat and catch up.

Edgeworth should have known Kay had bigger plans up her sleeve.

"You're not old enough to drink," Edgeworth pointed out. "You're twenty, not twenty-one. You can't sit at the bar until next month." Not to mention Edgeworth just didn't sit at bars.

"I'm old enough to drink in Canada," she said as if it would make a difference. "Come on, big Prosecutor. Pull some strings. I'm not going to drink. Just let me sit here while we wait."

"We could just get another table until the others arrive, I'm sure I could pull some strings in that department." He wasn't going to encourage minors sitting at bars.

_"_And then what?" Kay asked, arching a brow skeptically. "Take up a table for two that some others could have, when we already have a table reserved for six thirty?"

"All right, all right," Edgeworth said, exasperated. He had forgotten how stubborn Kay could be, and he really didn't feel like arguing in a nice place like this. At least Wright had taste. They both took a seat at the bar, and were approached immediately by one of the staff. Edgeworth did his best not to wrinkle his nose at the smell of bar peanuts.

"A glass of White Shiraz," Edgeworth requested. The bartender smiled warmly.

"Absolutely, sir. May I see your ID's?"

_"..."_

He just stared at the bartender, trying to think of what to say in order to stop him from looking at Kay's ID. The bartender, however, assumed a suddenly frightened look and went to fetch the wine bottle.

"Wow, Edgeworth, way to go."

"Huh? What did I do?"

"Your glare always does the trick."

_What? I'm glaring?_

Edgeworth accepted the glass of wine once it arrived, smirking as Kay politely declined an alcoholic beverage, settling for water.

"You know, people drink before they're twenty-one," Kay told him. "I've had beer before, you know."

"I'd watch what you say to a prosecuting attorney about illegal activity."

"Oh Edgeworth," Kay laughed. "You haven't changed. Such a stick in the mud. Now come on. You like hypotheticals, right? You always made them up when I met you."

"Well, that was for investigations, Kay."

"Well, humour me. I'm not Kay right now. I'm Penelope Vix, a girl sitting alone at a bar drinking a martini instead of a glass of water." She sent him a seductive look, making Edgeworth swallow. She was actually quite attractive, he realized. He hid his surprise behind his intense stare, of course.

"Now, show me how you would approach me."

"Excuse me?" Edgeworth said, and Kay rolled her eyes, falling out of character for a moment.

"Pick me up! Try and score!"

Edgeworth did not feel comfortable with this at all.

"I don't want to," he said, and Kay glared.

"If you don't, I'll tell everyone about that "Ngooooooh" sound you made and that facial expression!"

"Okay, okay!"

Edgeworth drew in a deep breath and glanced at Kay.

"…Hi."

"Edgeworth, you'll never get anyone with that menacing glare!"

"I'm not glaring!"

"Okay. Let's try something else." Kay suddenly puffed her chest out, and Edgeworth's eyes widened. He, of course, did not look. More than once, at least. Okay, maybe he glanced at her chest twice. But that was it!

"Kay- Kay, _what are you doing?_"

"My, what a hunk! You say it's your birthday? How about a birthday treat for the birthday boy?" Kay swooned, moving closer to him and dramatically fluttering her thick, black eyelashes. Edgeworth gulped as she pressed her figure against his. His arms immediately flew up, far away from her form and being very careful not to make any inappropriate contact.

"Kay! Stop it! _You will desist!_"

"Woah," came a voice from behind Edgeworth; it was accompanied by a much too smug laugh. "Are we interrupting something, pal?"

* * *

**A/N:** So, what did you guys think? ;) R&R for the next chapter!


	2. Happy Birthday

The Life of a Demon Attorney

**A/N**: Here's Chapter 2! Enjoy!

The usual disclaimer applies.

* * *

Chapter 2: Happy Birthday

Enough was enough.

Kay was acting much more like herself compared to the professional T.A. he had seen earlier in the day. Unfortunately, he had forgotten just how outgoing she really was. She was hanging all over him (the first time she had seen him in _three years_!) with some ridiculous notion that he had no social life. Of course Miles Edgeworth had a social life. He had Franziska von Karma, and… erm…

"Gummy!" Kay exclaimed happily, releasing Edgeworth and hugging Gumshoe instead. The large detective gave her a fatherly hug, his friendly chuckle rumbling in his chest.

"Heya, kiddo! I got a call from Phoenix Wright about an hour ago, saying you guys were having a party!"

Edgeworth's eye twitched, just a little.

"Happy birthday, Mr. Edgeworth sir!" said Gumshoe, handing him a small, clumsily wrapped gift box. Edgeworth glanced at it. He got a present? How long had it been since he received a present from someone other than Franziska for his birthday?

It was slender enough to fit into his breast pocket, so he slid it in.

"Thank you, Detective."

"We're not working right now, Mr. Edgeworth, you can call me Gumshoe. It's nothing big, just a new organizer for court. I saw yours was running low on pages. Ah – you remember Maggey, right?"

Edgeworth took his first good look at the two of them. Gumshoe was dressed in a regular black suit with a white dress shirt, and Maggey's hair was void of hair clips. She wore a simple black cocktail dress, and Edgeworth couldn't help but smile. It had been a while since he saw the two of them together.

"Yes, of course. How are you doing, Ms. Byrde?"

"It's Maggey," she said kindly, reaching out and shaking his hand shyly. "And I'm doing great! How about yourself?"

Before he could reply, Kay interrupted.

"Gummy! Is this her?"

"You bet it is, pal. This here's the greatest gal in the world."

Maggey blushed and Edgeworth looked away, refusing the urge to retch. _This_ is what Kay wanted for him? Edgeworth had no intention of looking like a sap fawning over a girl. It just wasn't him.

"Hey," came another voice, and Edgeworth turned to see Phoenix Wright, dressed in his old blue suit, hair for once, not spiked, but soft and straight. He looked, Edgeworth was amazed to see, like a mature, responsible adult and not like the nervous defense attorney or lazy poker player. Trucy was right behind him, dressed in a green magician's outfit.

He caught Kay's suspicious glance and rolled his eyes. He wasn't gay, he told her silently. He was observant. Kay shrugged.

"You guys ever hear of arriving fashionably late?" Phoenix asked, chuckling. "Maya and Pearls will be here soon. Let's grab our table."

It turned out to be a good dinner, if not a little awkward. Edgeworth was not one for small talk, but everyone hadn't seen each other in so long that that was all that was happening. There was polite chatter, intermingled with loud talking between the eccentric Kay and Maya, and laughter between Gumshoe and Phoenix. Pearls and Trucy were giggling about something or other on the other end of the table. Edgeworth's eyes scanned the occupants of the table, noticing how much fun they were having,

Surrounded by all these happy people, Edgeworth had never felt more alone in his life.

He hadn't been out with this many people for dinner since the Prosecutor's Office Christmas Staff Party. There were all these people here to celebrate his birthday, but he didn't know a lot of them all that well. What was strange was that they were all having a good time regardless. It was not an obligatory dinner, but rather, everyone had come because they _wanted _to, and that, at least, made Edgeworth just a little happy.

"I hear we have a birthday here?"

_What?_

Edgeworth's head was immediately pulled out of the clouds when he heard their server. He looked around. This was _not_ the type of restaurant that exploited peoples' birthdays and sang songs. That duty belonged to more low-budget restaurants, less classy restaurants. In fact, he hadn't heard one birthday song sung the entire time he was here.

"Yes, yes we do," said Phoenix, clapping jovially before pointing dramatically to where Edgeworth sat at the head of the table. "Right over there. Miles Edgeworth."

_Don't you point that finger at me._

Edgeworth's eyes suddenly widened as he saw Phoenix discreetly slip the butler a bill.

_Phoenix Wright, you are a walking dead man._

He completely tensed as he saw a number of staff members emerge from the kitchen, holding one piece of lemon meringue pie with a solitary candle in it. They proceeded to sing Happy Birthday in four-part harmony, and Edgeworth grew hot as he felt the entire restaurant's eyes fall on him. Of course, everyone at his table was laughing.

* * *

"You have great friends."

"Hmm?"

Kay glanced at Edgeworth as he placed his arm over the back of her seat, turning to see out of the back window as he backed out of their parking stall. He had driven her to the restaurant, and the courteous thing to do was to drive her back home.

"Everyone in there was so... good, you know? You always hear of the corrupt court system, the power-hungry politicians…" Kay, who had forgotten to bring a jacket, was wearing Edgeworth's much too large one, the 'burgundy' fabric enveloping her small shoulders beneath her seat belt.

"But everyone in there, whenever they were involved in a case, fought for the right thing."

Edgeworth sat properly in his seat again, and pulled smoothly out of the parking lot, picking up a little speed. He stayed silent at Kay's words; she had such a pensive look on her face.

"It's surprising you all get along so well, what with you being a prosecutor and all."

"We don't," Edgeworth said with a small smirk. "We fight a lot."

"That's how you get along, I suppose," Kay said, and Edgeworth tried to pretend he understood that potentially profound statement.

"You argue and give each other a hard time because you are rivals – or were, in the past. But you like it that way. There's pride stopping you from becoming too open with each other, but you care about them. I know you do."

"Do you?" asked Edgeworth, amused. This was all quite deep for car-talk. "I suppose you have evidence to prove that I do indeed, care about these people? That they are not simply acquaintances I humoured for one night?"

"You helped Phoenix when you thought he truly needed you. You left the courthouse to drive him to Trucy."

Edgeworth remained silent, the only sound coming from the engine as he accelerated and gained more speed on the highway.

"Yes, well, turns out he was lying, so that doesn't really count, does it?"

"You're a nice guy, Edgeworth," Kay said with a smile. "Don't hide that from people. It's unbecoming."

"Excuse me, Kay, but we haven't seen each other in years. I don't think you're in the position to tell me how I am or how my mind works." He sent her his usual serious stare, but Kay just smiled.

"I guess not."

They made it to Kay's flat in record time, seeing as Edgeworth had bypassed the speed limit by double. He found himself walking her to the lobby of her building, and she handed him back his coat. He slid it back on, enjoying the lingering warmth she had given it. He inhaled, and smelled a subtle scent of vanilla.

"It was nice seeing you again, Edgeworth, outside of a murder investigation." Edgeworth managed to smirk.

"It was nice seeing you, too. You've grown up well."

"We should keep in touch," Kay suggested, and Edgeworth nodded.

"Yes. My number is still the same."

"Great." They stood awkwardly at her door for a moment, but within a moment Kay gave him a hug. It was not seductive; she was not presenting any more strange hypotheticals. It was just… a hug.

Edgeworth hesitated a moment before returning it, patting her back.

"Happy Birthday, Miles Edgeworth."

He smiled.

"Thank you."

* * *

Edgeworth was more than happy to return to the office. He accepted several cases, won most (one was actually innocent), and was back into his comfortable routine of waking up, prosecuting, investigating, and going to bed. Lather, rinse, repeat. He had a few e-mails from Phoenix Wright (which sat unreplied), and from Kay, who invited him out to dinner with her friends every other week or so. She, too, had gotten his e-mail from Gumshoe. Each time he would politely decline. The thought of a bunch of twenty-year old girls and their idea of fun was not something he was willing to expose himself to. She had called a few times to invite him out to just a quick lunch, but unfortunately, in the daytime he was often quite busy with cases. He had her number stored in his phone just in case, though.

"Mr. Edgeworth sir!"

Edgeworth looked up from his work as he heard Gumshoe knock (and yell) from behind his office door.

"Enter if you must," he said, continuing to write some notes as Gumshoe walked in.

"I just got back from my break – do you think Kay will like this?"

Hmm, finally something Gumshoe said intrigued him. He looked up to the seventh season of Jammin' Ninja that the Detective held in his hands. Edgeworth smirked and continued his notes, wondering just how long it had taken him to save up for that.

"She'll love it," he said mildly. "What's the occasion?"

Gumshoe's face fell.

"She told me she told you. Her birthday is today."

Edgeworth's pen stopped moving. Had it really already been a month since he'd seen everyone last? And he didn't even have a gift. How had the date slipped his mind?

"Oh, yes. Thank you for reminding me."

"Not a problem, sir! That's what I'm here for."

_Really?_

Edgeworth watched as Gumshoe walked out of his office with that goofy grin on his face. Once the door was shut, Edgeworth pushed a button on his phone. Speed-dial, what a lovely invention. He would have to make this up to Kay.

"Edgeworth?" said the voice on the other phone.

"Usually you begin with a greeting, but yes, this is Edgeworth."

"Hey! How are you?"

"I'm doing well. I just called to say Happy Birthday."

"Thanks!" She sounded happy, if not a little guarded. Edgeworth prodded on.

"Are you doing anything tonight?"

"Tonight?" Kay repeated, her voice fuzzy from the phone line. "No. It's Wednesday today. I'm going out with my friends on Friday to celebrate, since everyone's working today. I'm on my lunch break right now, actually."

"Why don't we meet for dinner tonight? I can treat you to something, it being your birthday and all. We can even sit at the bar, if you want, since you're old enough now." There was a pause on the other end, and Edgeworth, for some reason, suddenly felt nervous. It wasn't like he was asking her out on a date. Just a birthday dinner.

"Sure," she finally said. "But can we go for dessert after? I know a great place."

"That sounds fine," Edgeworth said. "I'll pick you up at seven. Dress nicely."

"Sure," Kay said again. "Edgeworth?"

"Yes?"

"You're such a control freak." Edgeworth listened to her laugh before she hung up the phone.

* * *

Edgeworth found himself driving into the lot of Kay's building once again later that evening, and she was already standing there waiting. She had brought a coat this time, and he leaned over to open the car door and let her in. He did his best not to ask about her control freak comment as he took her out to dinner. He bought a bottle of wine for them to share, which he was surprised to see she enjoyed (usually wine was an acquired taste). He asked how her new job was going, and she asked how things were at the courthouse. It was a very pleasant evening, and Edgeworth was having a good time, except for the curiosity in the back of his mind that kept wondering why Kay had called him a control freak.

When they returned to his car, Kay gave him directions to the restaurant that catered exclusively to desserts.

"You said you could live off of simple, right?" Kay said with a smirk.

Edgeworth said nothing.

When they arrived, Edgeworth felt extremely out of place. It looked like a fifties diner, had pictures of deep-fried ice cream, rich sundaes, and oreo cookie sandwiches all over the wall. Kay practically bounced up to the counter to order from the till. They looked out of place in their fancy clothes, and Edgeworth felt a tad out of place. Kay, however, looked at home.

"Kay! Back again, I see!" There was a plump, warm-looking lady behind the till.

"Yep! It's my birthday! Mrs. Rosano, this is Mr. Edgeworth." The woman sent Kay a suggestive glance, and Edgeworth felt his eye twitch again. Why did people have to assume he was the boyfriend of any female he interacted with?

"Have a seat, dear, I'll bring you some nice birthday treats. Don't even worry about it – it's on the house tonight."

Edgeworth slid off his suit jacket, hanging it neatly over the edge of a hard, metal chair. Kay took a seat across from him, looking excited. She loved getting free food.

"Thanks for dinner tonight," she said, her cheeks a little pink from the wine from earlier. "I don't know if you'll like this place, but I really love the deep-fried ice cream here."

Edgeworth attempted a smile.

"It's… surprising, to be sure, but I can give it a try."

It barely took five minutes for their ice cream to come up, Edgeworth with strawberry-flavoured deep-fried ice cream, and Kay with mango. He broke into the crusty shell with his spoon, reaching the soft ice cream inside.

"Kay," he began, finally deciding to just voice the question on his mind. "Why did you say I was a control freak?"

Kay swallowed her ice cream before speaking.

"Because you are. You won't go to dinner with me when I ask you, but you ask me to dinner yourself. Clearly you don't like to do things unless you are in control of the situation."

Edgeworth considered this.

"Is that bad?" he asked, and Kay laughed. How could she smile so much?

"Well, I don't mind it. I'm pretty flexible. But you'd probably clash with other control-freaks."

He chuckled, taking a bite of his ice cream. After a few moments of savouring the taste, he nodded once, deciding he liked it.

"This is actually quite good."

"I'm glad."

"Oh." Edgeworth put down his spoon and reached into his pocket, pulling out a small, velvet box and handing it to Kay.

"Happy Birthday." She blinked in surprise, but she soon accepted it and opened it. Upon seeing what was inside, her eyes widened.

"Are you serious?! Edgeworth, this must have cost you a _fortune!_ I can't-"

"They're non-refundable, so you'll take them."

Kay looked down at it again. Made of solid gold, there were two small keys encrusted tastefully with small diamonds. They were earrings.

"Can I wear them now?" she asked, and Edgeworth chuckled.

"They're sterilized, so sure."

Kay grinned as she put them on. Edgeworth had to admit, he felt strangely good inside, knowing he had given her something that made her happy. Unfortunately, as she put on the second earring, her elbow knocked over her bowl of ice cream right into his lap.

"_Ah!_"

He stood from the table and quickly brushed the cold, offensive ice cream off of his pants. His eyes were wide in shock, and he looked back to Kay. She was wearing her new earrings now, but…

She was _laughing!_

This girl really had some nerve!

Kay clutched her sides, almost falling over in her seat as tears came to her eyes.

"Why are you laughing?" he asked, wiping at his pants again. Kay gasped for air.

"Prosecutor – Miles Edgeworth – has ice cream on – pants!" She burst into laughter again, and Edgeworth's eyes narrowed as a rather evil idea entered his mind. He couldn't, could he? He took another look at the laughing Kay and shook his head.

Yes, he could.

He took his bowl of ice cream and plopped it onto her bare shoulder. Kay shrieked from the cold and jumped up from her seat, and now Edgeworth was smirking. It looked almost evil, but it made Kay laugh. She scraped some ice cream off of her shoulder and rubbed it across Edgeworth's cheek. Edgeworth's eyes widened, and Kay bolted. She ran out the door as fast as she could. After grabbing his jacket, Edgeworth was following her, though he wasn't running. He walked calmly out into the parking lot, eyes scanning the area for Kay.

"I'm going to go rub up against your car and all its upholstery!" he heard her yell. Edgeworth, taking advantage of the dark, walked behind a tree. He waited for Kay's footsteps to come closer.

"Edgeworth?" she called uncertainly. "Where are you?" The pace of her footsteps picked up again as she continued running. Edgeworth took his chance and stepped out from behind the tree, hoping to use the element of surprise but-

_Smack!_

Kay ran right into Edgeworth, and he could feel the ice cream from her soaking into his own shirt. Likewise, the ice cream on his pants made contact with Kay's leg, and they both jumped apart, sticky. Kay made a face.

"Ewww!"

Edgeworth, out of the blue, began to laugh. Kay watched him, and a smile slowly grew over her face.

* * *

"Well, this has certainly been an adventure," Edgeworth heard Kay call from the bathroom. He stepped out of his bedroom, his ruined suit packed in plastic and ready to be sent to the dry cleaner's the next day. He wore a pair of black dress pants and a simple burgundy t-shirt in place of his previous attire. Kay was standing there, damp towel in hand, wiping the remnants of the sticky ice cream off of her legs and arms. She, unfortunately, was still in her dress.

"Do you want to borrow some clothes before I drive you back home?" he asked. The two of them had decided to wash off in Edgeworth's apartment suite, seeing as it was closer to the ice cream shop than Kay's flat. It had been quite the ordeal, trying not to mess up the immaculate interior of his car while covered in ice cream.

"You have anything that will fit me?" she asked with a smirk, and Edgeworth hummed.

"Point taken."

"Well," she said, fighting a yawn. "I better head home. I have to work tomorrow morning, after all." She plopped herself down on the couch, against her words, and sunk into the cushions.

"Right. Let me just put on a coat and I'll drive you home."

He went into his bedroom, taking a few minutes to find a proper coat. A lot of his jackets were simply suit jackets, and he made a mental note to find some decent outdoor coats that went with his more leisurely attire. Sliding on one of his trench coats, he walked back out into the living room.

Kay was fast asleep on his couch.

He walked up to her, kneeling by her and giving her shoulder a gentle push.

"Kay?" She hummed before turning and wrapping her arms around one of his couch pillows. He watched her for a moment, wondering if she was about to wake up. Instead, all she did was continue sleeping, murmuring, ever so quietly,

"Best birthday yet."

* * *

**A/N: **So? What did you think? R&R for the next chapter!


	3. A Good Time

The Life of a Demon Attorney

**A/N**: My love goes out to VACTs, my faithful reviewer. It seems like a prompt update, but I do my best to upload a chapter a day, or a chapter every couple of days. It depends on how busy I am. Here is Chapter 3. Per usual, R&R for the next chapter. :)

Enjoy!

The usual disclaimer applies.

* * *

Chapter 3: A Good Time

Kay's eyes slowly opened; the sun had not fully risen yet, a dark orange, and almost pinkish tinge of sunlight streaming in through her window. Based on the temperature and the dim brightness, Kay assumed it was still very early in the morning.

Suddenly, she sat up, heart racing. Where was she?

She looked around. She was in what was perhaps the comfiest bed she had ever been in. The walls were a cream colour, decorated with subtle floral patterns along the edges. The door of the bedroom was shut, and she noticed a chair nearby: Folded clothes sat upon its seat. Upon closer inspection, it seemed like a men's size t-shirt, red in colour, with a pair of men's size sweatpants. Kay wondered how she was supposed to fit into them when she realized there was a drawstring.

She looked down. Kay was still in her black dress from the previous night.

Finally, she remembered.

She was in Edgeworth's apartment suite, and had fallen asleep on his couch. But why was she here then, in a bedroom? Kay stepped outside to the hallway, looking cautiously around. Upon reaching the kitchen, she spotted Edgeworth, reading a newspaper and drinking a cup of hot tea using what looked like an expensive tea set. She couldn't believe that at – she glanced at the microwave for the time – five in the morning, he was already dressed and ready for the day.

"Good morning," Edgeworth said, not looking up from the article. Kay placed her hands on her hips.

"You didn't sleep on the couch, did you, Edgeworth?" Her tone was scolding, and a smirk tugged at the corner of Edgeworth's lips.

"No," he said. "I didn't."

"…Oh."

"I carried you into the guest room. It's not proper to leave a guest to sleep on the couch when there is a perfectly good bed for her, is it?"

Kay blushed.

"I'm sorry I fell asleep."

"No matter. I took the liberty of calling your work and granting you a sick day. I wasn't sure if you would wake in time."

Kay blinked. She had tried to get sick days off in the past, when she truly was sick, and had never managed. How had Edgeworth-?

Nevermind. Kay was slowly starting to realize that Edgeworth knew how to get his way.

"Thank you," she said.

"There's a new toothbrush in the bathroom for you, for when you get ready," he said, still reading his article. "I had a spare, so…"

"Right, I'll get ready. Do you still have work, Edgeworth?"

There was a pause.

"Yes, I do."

Kay felt a slight disappointment wash over her, but ignored it.

"Oh. Well, I'll be quick, then. Do you mind if I use your shower?"

"Feel free," Edgeworth said mildly. Kay disappeared into the bathroom after that. It wasn't until fifteen minutes later, when he was placing his tea set delicately into the dishwasher, that Kay emerged. Her hair was slightly damp, dripping onto the t-shirt he had left for her. He had given her the smallest clothes he owned, and they were still ridiculously large on her.

He fought the urge to smile.

"Don't laugh," Kay said, though she was smiling herself. "I couldn't wear my dress, it was still covered in dried ice cream."

He turned away from her in favor of neatly folding his newspaper and placing it in the recycling bin.

"Um," he heard Kay say. "Thank you for last night. And for letting me stay here, and all."

"It's not a problem," he assured her. "Let's head back to your apartment and get you some proper clothes. Then we'll have some breakfast."

"I thought you worked?" Kay said, and Edgeworth shrugged.

"I'm scheduled to be in the office at ten. We have time."

"Can I pick the breakfast place?" she asked with a big smile. Edgeworth hesitated, but soon enough he nodded.

"Of course, but no food fights this time."

"You're no fun." There was an amused twinkle in her eye, and Edgeworth suavely slid on his coat.

"Let's go."

* * *

Edgeworth found himself watching as Kay religiously pushed several buttons on her phone. She had been doing this on and off the entire morning, and it was getting to him.

"Who are you texting?" he asked, holding his fork delicately between his fingers. Kay didn't answer, instead sending the text and sliding it into her pocket. She picked up her fork again and scooped up some of her hashbrowns.

"I have a surprise for you tonight," she said. Edgeworth arched an eyebrow.

"Come again?"

"A surprise," Kay repeated with a grin. "When are you off work?"

Edgeworth had been looking forward to resting at home after work, actually.

"Erm… Six or seven, I suppose," he answered, and Kay grinned.

"Great! Seven thirty, I'll meet you at your apartment."

"That's ridiculous," Edgeworth protested. "I can just pick you up from your flat."

"Oh, all right. Fine. Pick me up at seven thirty, and I'll give you directions from there. Dress nicely," she added with a playful smirk. Edgeworth arched a brow as he cut into one of his eggs.

"I always dress nicely."

Edgeworth, after breakfast, dropped Kay off at her flat and drove to the office. There had been an apparent murder at the local prison, and one of the cellmates was under arrest for the murder. There had been three cellmates in total: One was the victim, the second was the prime suspect, and the third had escaped before the murder transpired. Cops were searching high and low for the escaped convict. Now, this wasn't his case, so normally he would know nothing of it, but Franziska von Karma had called and asked for his help. This was a rare occasion, and in fact Edgeworth was almost certain he had never heard a von Karma say the word 'help' before, so he accepted and became involved in the investigations as a subordinate.

It was a long day; the two of them spent most of their hours at the prison, hunting for clues or speaking with the suspect. By the time Edgeworth was home, he sighed in relief, sitting on the couch and allowing the cushions to release all the tensions from his body.

His eyes closed when he suddenly remembered he had plans that night.

Getting up but a moment later, he changed out of his usual burgundy suit and switched it for a midnight blue one. He decided to go without a cravat and with a tie instead. He tucked in his shirt, slid on a belt, and after running a brush quickly through his hair, he left for Kay's house. When he pushed the button corresponding to her room number from outside the building, she hurried down to meet him. Her hair was left down again today, but was wavy, bangs ironed neatly to frame her face. Now that he was looking, he couldn't help but notice the fitted, white strapless dress she wore, complete with leggings and high heels. She was wearing a jacket overtop, for the moment, but she glanced at him with a slight frown. Feeling suddenly self-conscious, he stared at her.

"What?" he asked. Kay bit her lip in thought before reaching up to his collar. He stepped back.

"What are you-?"

"Hold still," she said, and her fingers slid around his neck. She easily undid his tie for him, stuffing it into her hand purse. After that, she undid a button of his collar, and Edgeworth's hand wrapped around her wrist in warning.

"Enough. Enough with the modifications," he said. He didn't need Kay unbuttoning his shirt; not while she looked like _that_. He had enough trouble keeping ungentlemanly thoughts out of his mind with that dress. Kay shrugged, a smile on her face. Seemed she was happy enough with what she had done, anyway.

"Hope you don't mind," Kay said, pointing to a yellow cab by the corner. "I called us a taxi." Edgeworth assumed that meant alcohol would be involved, and nodded cautiously.

They got into the cab and Kay gave the driver directions. They didn't talk much aside from the directions, both much too busy with looking for their location. As the driver turned off the highway and beneath an overpass, he spotted the glittering lights of a casino. They drove right past it.

"Where are we going?" he asked. "We're dressed like we're going to… to…" Blast, what was that word?

"To a nightclub," he finished. Kay pointed to the lot that the taxi driver was meant to turn into.

"That's because we are."

Edgeworth felt his stomach drop as they drove into the lot. Phoenix Wright, in his own black suit, was standing by the doorway. His hair was once again soft and ungelled. Edgeworth quickly paid the fair and they stepped out of the taxi.

"What," Edgeworth said to him, arching a brow, "Are you doing here?" It had bad been bad enough that they had taken a _taxi_, but now a nightclub with Phoenix Wright?

"I'm going to show you a good time," Phoenix said with a chuckle, earning a snort from Kay. Edgeworth ignored her. She probably had some immature gay joke running through her head.

"Trucy's with Maya right now, so I was free to come. Hope you don't mind."

Edgeworth had a feeling he knew who Kay had been texting earlier that morning.

Upon stepping inside, Edgeworth was relieved to see that it was at least a classy nightclub. They served high-class meals if desired, and they had a live band. No strippers, no cages. The dancing on the dance floor was a little provocative, but he had no intention of dancing here. He was a waltz kind of person. This, he noted, looking around at the dancers and their close proximities to each other, was not a waltz kind of place.

"Remind me," he whispered in Kay's ear, "to never go out with you again."

"You're going to have fun," Kay whispered back to him, having to clutch his arm gently and use him for support as she stood on the tips of her toes to reach his ear. "You trust me, don't you?"

"Against my better judgments, yes."

"Fool," Kay said with a smirk.

The three of them were seated at a table, and Phoenix ordered their drinks. Edgeworth remained silent, trying to take everything in and not explode. Edgeworth usually did not set foot in nightclubs. They made him uncomfortable.

Unfortunately, Edgeworth couldn't remain silent when he saw his drink.

"What is this?" he asked, arching a brow.

"It's a shot," Phoenix said bluntly.

"Wait, wait, why do I get a shot, while you get grape juice?"

"It's got two ounces of vodka in here," Phoenix said, arching a brow.

"But it's Thursday today," he protested. "There's work tomorrow-"

"Edgeworth," Kay said, lifting up her own shot glass. "It's Good Friday tomorrow. Everyone has the day off, except for restaurants and places like that." Phoenix sent Edgeworth a smug smirk.

"Drink up!"

Edgeworth was suddenly reminded of the time that he had been declared innocent in a murder case, thanks to Phoenix Wright. After the victory, he had been brought forward to "Whoop" with them. He had felt foolish. At this moment, he felt just as foolish as he did back then. He felt out of his element here.

He stared long and hard at his shot glass before finally picking it up and throwing it back in one gulp.

Phoenix and Kay cheered as Edgeworth closed his eyes, expressionless.

"Well?" Phoenix said with a grin. "What did you think?" Edgeworth glanced at Phoenix.

"Disgusting," he answered as monotonously as ever.

"Good," Phoenix replied with a chuckle. "If you found straight tequila tasty I would have been worried."

They chatted for a while at the table, ordering a few more drinks as an hour or so passed. Soon enough, Phoenix was standing from his table and grinning.

"I'm going to hit the dance floor. Want to come with?"

"Erm, no," Edgeworth said, setting aside his glass. He had to stop. His head felt heavy, and that was never a good sign. Kay rolled her eyes.

"Suit yourself."

He sat there at the booth, smiling to himself and shaking his head. What was with these two? Why were they so adamant that he get away from the office? Sometimes when two people schemed together, they got too excited. It was like matchmaking two of your friends: you get so excited over them being a couple that you don't even stop to think of whether or not they are actually right for each other.

He opened his eyes and glanced over the booth at the dance floor. Phoenix actually looked pretty good, dancing with one of the women on the floor. She was an attractive redhead – of course. Just like Dahlia. Hopefully this one didn't have a mind to murder.

After a bit more scanning he spotted Kay, dancing with a man. Edgeworth appraised him. He was tall, slightly built, and well-dressed. He had an arrogant, dishonest look in his eye, though, and Edgeworth suddenly felt a spark of protectiveness.

This man's hands ran over Kay's hips in that fitting little number, and she turned so that her back was against his front. The two danced together like that, and Edgeworth continued to watch, looking for any suspicious movement. Finally, he caught the man's hands rise higher than appropriate, and saw Kay shove his hands away.

Edgeworth was out of that booth as fast as his legs would take him. He walked straight up to the dance floor and tapped the guy on the shoulder. Closer up, Edgeworth could see he needed a shave. Stubble was not a good look for him.

"May I cut in?"

It wasn't a question.

Kay grinned at Edgeworth.

"Sure!"

Her dance partner begrudgingly passed her to Edgeworth, and Edgeworth moved closer to her, taking her hands in his as they danced.

"Thanks," she whispered, breathless from all the dancing. "That guy was such a creep."

"So I noticed," Edgeworth said, taking a mental picture. He'd have to watch out for him for the rest of the night.

"Do you grind?" Kay asked in that playful tone.

"Assuming that was what you did with that other man, no, I don't."

"I knew you were too old." Kay giggled, and Edgeworth glanced over her shoulder, where Phoenix was dancing with a different woman. He caught Phoenix's wink, and Edgeworth suddenly felt very hot. He was dancing with – with a twenty-one year old!

"You want to step outside?" he asked, hiding his nervousness easily behind his cool exterior. Before Kay could reply, a woman had tapped Edgeworth on the shoulder.

"Excuse me honey," she said in a southern drawl. "Would you like to dance?"

Edgeworth sent her a serious look.

"I don't dance."

Kay bit back a laugh as she followed Edgeworth off of the dance floor. She followed him outside, grabbing a beer off the bar and handing it to him.

"And you wonder why people think you're gay…" she teased. Edgeworth blinked as he pushed open the door to the club, the cold air brushing against his face.

"What do you mean?"

"You completely blow off women!" Kay said, gesturing wildly back to the club. "She would have taken you home if you let her!"

"No, thank you." Edgeworth said, his lips pursed slightly. "And I do not blow off women. There just hasn't been one that I want to make the effort for."

"Really?"

Kay crossed her arms for warmth. Her jacket was still in their booth. Edgeworth found himself, once again, sliding off his coat and placing it over her shoulders. She offered him a smile.

"Thanks."

"So, why is Wright here?" he asked her, and Kay grinned.

"I thought it might be better if you had an old friend here instead of just me. Are you having fun?"

Edgeworth looked down to Kay, swallowed by his large jacket.

"More than I expected to," he admitted. Kay smiled.

"Good. I just thought I'd return the favour for last night. I had a really good time."

"Good," Edgeworth said. "I'm glad you enjoyed dumping ice cream on me."

Kay laughed, and she rested her head on his shoulder. Edgeworth glanced at her, feeling his heart suddenly speed up. What was wrong with him? Feeling a little stupid due to the unusually large amount of alcohol he had consumed, he hummed.

"Kay?" he said. Kay glanced up at him, and their faces were close. He blinked a few times.

"Yeah?" Her eyes were green. He hadn't noticed before.

Edgeworth leaned forward, just a touch, and his heart skipped a beat when he saw Kay lean closer too. What was she-?

"Hey! I was wondering where you went!"

Edgeworth and Kay sprung apart like guilty children, and Kay's cheeks immediately grew pink. Edgeworth crossed his arms and began to tap his bicep with his index finger, as if in court. Phoenix stared at them, bashfully bringing his arm behind his neck after a moment.

"Sorry, did I interrupt something?"

"Not a thing," said Edgeworth plainly, still tapping his finger. Phoenix glanced at Kay, then at Edgeworth again.

"Well, should I call a cab then?"

"That," Edgeworth said, clutching his head, fogged over with too much alcohol, "Is the best idea you've had all night, Wright."

They all returned home with no issues, and upon his arrival, Edgeworth had somehow managed to convince a tow truck to tow his car back to his home. He even paid double the cost to ensure that there would be no damage in the process. After that, he collapsed into his bed and slept late into the next morning, trying not to think about what may or may not have happened between him and Kay.

* * *

_Brring! Brring!_

Kay rolled over in her bed and grabbed her cell phone. She flipped it open and pressed it to her ear. She glanced at her clock. It was eleven in the morning on Good Friday.

"Hello?" she answered groggily. A very sick-sounding Edgeworth's voice was on the other end.

"I hate you."

"Hangover?" Kay asked, sitting up and running a hand through her hair.

"Yes."

"I'll be over with some macaroni and cheese. Give me about an hour."

* * *

**A/N**: Aaand what did you think? :D Drop off a review and let me know.


	4. Vanilla

The Life of a Demon Attorney

**A/N**: While I do not have many reviews, I am happy to see over forty subscribers for this story in the past three days. :) I know this isn't the most popular area for fanfictions, so I'm glad to have whatever readers I can get. Thanks to you guys out there, and I hope that, even if you aren't reviewing, you are enjoying the story! To those of you who have written reviews, I really appreciate your input and the time you took to write them. If you have any constructive criticism, please feel to share with me, as I am always open to suggestions for improvement.

**VACTs**: My friends, many of whom are older than me, just told me that they all eat mac and cheese as hangover remedies. XD That's where I got that remedy from. And, to answer your question, I am female. ;)

The usual disclaimer applies.

* * *

Chapter 4: Vanilla

Kay had bussed to Edgeworth's apartment after cooking macaroni and cheese and getting ready for the day. As Kay had told him before, she had already drank before her twenty-first birthday, and as such, was less privy to hangovers. Upon her first few hangovers, though, her friends had dutifully prepared her macaroni and cheese with a glass of milk, and after resting for several hours, Kay actually found the comfort food to work. Edgeworth only drank one or two glasses of wine or champagne on special nights out, so she was hardly surprised that he wasn't very tolerant of a slightly larger amount of hard alcohol all at once. At one point in the day, after they had eaten, Edgeworth had been resting on the couch. Kay had sat down in front of him and called Pheonix on her cell phone. Of course, she activated the speakerphone.

"Phoenix here." Edgeworth winced as his crackled voice rang throughout the house.

"It's Kay. Edgeworth has a hangover."

"Hah! No way, really?"

"Really."

"That's hilarious."

Edgeworth had taken Kay's cell phone and snapped it shut so that he couldn't hear Wright's voice anymore. Kay brought one of her old Steel Samurai DVD's (while she was still very much taken with the Jammin' Ninja, she knew Edgeworth was a closet fan of the Steel Samurai). She was almost certain he already owned one, but she didn't know where, so had brought it just in case. Popping it into his massive entertainment system's DVD player, she turned down the volume.

"Come on. Let's watch a movie, that should take your mind off of the headache." It seemed like this was going to be one of the hangovers that lasted all day.

Edgeworth didn't protest, his eyes closed and head tilted back against the head cushion of the couch. Kay plopped herself down beside him, and they spent the next couple of hours watching the first Steel Samurai movie ever made. Or at least, she did. Edgeworth had fallen asleep not even thirty minutes in. She glanced at him. That day, he was actually wearing leisurely clothes, which was a surprise in itself. It was odd not to see Edgeworth in some kind of suit. He wore an open white button-down shirt, burgundy beater beneath it, and dark blue, immaculately pressed jeans. He actually looked _good._ Other than the shadows beneath his eyes, he didn't even look sick; just tired. His chest swelled slightly with each silent breath, and he actually looked attractive when he slept.

"Bastard," she found herself muttering with a smirk. Kay was one of the unfortunate ones who looked terrible when asleep and woke up with a serious case of bed head.

When the movie ended, Edgeworth was still fast asleep, so she went into the guest bedroom and grabbed one of the blankets. She draped it overtop of him, and he didn't move, simply slumbering on. Kay felt it would be rude to leave, so she stood and walked over to his fireplace. There were no pictures displayed anywhere. He had paintings and photographs on various walls in his apartment, but she had not seen one photo.

Hold on…

Walking up to the mantle, she saw the backside of a photograph frame blend in with the white mantle. It seemed as though the photo had been on display, but shoved down at some point. She turned it over and saw a much younger Edgeworth, perhaps around eight years old, standing smiling beside a man Kay could only assume to be his father. They both pointed at the camera with identical smirks on their faces.

Setting back the photo as it was, Kay glanced at the bookshelf nearby, walking up to it. She brushed a finger along the spines, stopping when she finally spotted what she was looking for: photo albums. She bypassed the ones that were labeled "Case Studies" and went for the unlabeled one instead. She kneeled on the ground and placed the large album in her lap. Upon opening the first page, she saw a note:

_Happy Birthday, Edgeworth! I had to get a little help from everyone, but that was a small price to pay. I hope you like it! _

_Phoenix Wright_

Below the little note was a small photo glued to the hard cover: Phoenix Wright and Edgeworth staring each other down in court. She had never seen Phoenix as a defense attorney before, and he certainly looked different. His hair looked funny.

Flipping through the pages, many of them were Edgeworth in some form of burgundy suit and Prosecutor's uniform. He smiled in very few. Franziska von Karma was in a few of them, as was Gumshoe. The last photo consisted of the entire group: Maya, Phoenix, Edgeworth, Gumshoe, and a couple more, Maya holding up a sign that read "VICT-" in big red letters.

She smiled, and was about to close the album when she saw something sticking out from beneath that last photo. Her eyebrows furrowed and she peeled at the sticky cellophane-like material that held the photos down. She reached the hidden photo with care, and turned it over. It was a photo of young Edgeworth again, standing outside of one of the courthouse lobbies with his father. They both smiled, though very mildly. After turning it over, she saw Edgeworth's neat handwriting: _Before the DL-6 incident._

DL-6?

"If I had a mind to right now, I could find a way to sue you for sifting through personal belongings without asking."

Kay jumped slightly at Edgeworth's voice and fumbled to shove the hidden photo back where it belonged. After that, she shut the album and placed it back where it had been on the bookshelf. She looked back to Edgeworth, who was watching her with that same steely stare.

"Sorry," she said with a slight blush. "You don't have many photos around, and I was just curious."

"Tch."

Edgeworth slowly sat up, walking to the kitchen and opening one of his cupboards. He grabbed an bottle of Advil and downed two caplets using a water bottle from his fridge.

"Doesn't it ever get lonely in here?" Kay asked, and Edgeworth glanced at her.

"What do you mean?"

"It's such a big apartment," Kay said, looking around. "Don't you ever feel kinda… lonely?"

"No," he answered, putting his water bottle back in the fridge and shutting the door. "I like my privacy."

Kay walked up to Edgeworth, the previous night coming to her mind. He had leaned in, and she had too. He watched her cautiously, and Kay wondered if he was ever going to bring it up. She knew she hadn't imagined it – they had almost kissed!

"Right, well," Kay threw on her jacket, which had been draped on the back of one of Edgeworth's chairs in the kitchen. He nodded.

"You have plans with your friends tonight for your birthday, right?"

"Yeah. Marie's taking us all out in a party bus," she said, though to be honest, she actually really didn't want to go. She had been looking forward to going clubbing all week (a real club, not like the one she had taken Edgeworth to), but now…

"You going to be okay?" she asked him, and Edgeworth nodded curtly. The thought of Kay going around from club to club and bar to bar really didn't please him.

"Of course."

"Right," Kay said again. "Call if you need anything."

Edgeworth nodded and showed her to the door.

"Call if you need a ride," he said.

"Will you be able to drive with that hangover?" she asked him with a smirk. Edgeworth shrugged.

"We shall see. Have fun tonight, Kay." Kay hugged Edgeworth after his well-wishes, and per usual, he hesitated before hugging back.

"Take care, Edgeworth," she said. Edgeworth held her for a second or so longer than he should have, and when he pulled away, Kay was looking at him. She leaned forward, and he could feel his stomach wrench slightly in realization. He leaned forward, too. She was going to-?

No.

He turned his head at the last second, and Kay's lips found the corner of his, missing and meeting his cheek by just a fraction. They lingered close to each other, and Kay glanced at him curiously. Edgeworth looked down at her, expressionless as always. Kay's curious expression faded into one of embarrassment and disappointment.

He shut the door once she stepped outside, cutting off any lingering feelings between them. He wasn't good with these kinds of situations. They had spent the past few days together, and… she had her entire life ahead of her. No matter what he may or may not feel, she didn't need him to mess it up. His heart ached a little, wondering what would happen if he could just find the courage to actually kiss her, but he couldn't. She deserved better than what he could provide her with. He was a mess of a person, still trying to figure out who he was and what he had to offer. Unfortunately, if Edgeworth had known what was going to happen that night, he would have never let her go.

* * *

_Brring! Brring!_

_Click._

"Edgeworth speaking."

"Edgeworth?"

It was Kay's voice, and she was frightened. Her breathing was hard against the receiver. Edgeworth's heart began to pick up unnaturally fast and he reached to his bedside table to switch on his lamp.

"Kay?"

"E-Edgeworth," she said again, and she hissed in a breath, as though she were crying.

"Kay," he said sternly, sitting up in bed. He glanced at the clock. Three in the morning?

"Kay, where are you?"

"He- he took Marie. We were just at Club Push, and-" Kay was whispering, he realized, and Edgeworth threw the covers off of his bed. He began to change into proper clothes, keeping the phone pressed to his ear.

"Edgeworth," she whispered pleadingly. "Edgeworth, please-"

She was cut off, and Edgeworth's eyes widened as he heard her scream in the background.

"Kay? Kay!"

There was rustling, and a loud thud. Finally, the phone line went dead.

Edgeworth hung up the call and speed dialed Gumshoe.

"Mr. Edgeworth sir," he answered groggily. "It's late."

"I need a crew on the scene of Club Push right now."

"What? But sir-!"

"Now, Gumshoe," Edgeworth ordered. Then, very softly he added,

"Someone has taken Kay."

Gumshoe hung up.

Edgeworth threw on a shirt and a jacket before heading out to his car. He dialed 911 before pulling out of his driveway and speeding over to the well-known Club Push.

"Hello, police? This is Prosecutor Miles Edgeworth. I'd like to file a report for suspicious activity at Club Push that merits for an immediate investigation. I just received a phone call. I have back up arriving. Send an ambulance, too."

Edgeworth arrived at Club Push minutes later, and was surprised to find that there was no disorder or chaos. There was no panic. His eyes scanned the area for anything suspicious, and he pulled out his driver's license for ID to be let inside. He walked over to the washrooms, and shoved open the door to the men's. No one was in here. He furrowed his brow. Walking out, he spotted one of the bouncers. He was just about to ask if he had seen anything suspicious when he caught a better look; Edgeworth recognized him immediately from the previous night. The bouncer hadn't shaved, and still had that stubble growing unattractively around his jaw.

He was the man Kay had danced with.

That wasn't why he looked so familiar, though. He could have sworn he'd seen him from somewhere else.

Edgeworth walked back into the hallway that had the restrooms, the bass of the music in the next room over pulsing loudly. This was not doing anything for his headache. Edgeworth pushed a button on his cell phone, and heard it ring once through his receiver.

Then-

_Brring! Brring!_

Edgeworth spun around at the sound of the ring. The bouncer had followed Edgeworth into the hallway. Edgeworth glanced at his pocket, where a pink cell phone stood out, a Jammin' Ninja accessory hanging from it. Edgeworth suddenly felt someone wrap their arm around his neck from behind, and he was met with darkness.

* * *

"Hold still, Mr. Edgeworth. I'm almost done."

Edgeworth's eyebrows furrowed, his eyes still closed.

"There."

"Where... am I?"

A burning sensation ran through his throat as he spoke, and Edgeworth winced. He waited a few moments before he opened his eyes. A paramedic was looking down at him, and judging by his surroundings he was in the back of an ambulance. His neck had gauze wrapped tightly around it, in place of his cravat. Gumshoe sat on the bench, as did Phoenix. His eyes widened. What were they-?

"Mr. Edgeworth, sir!" Gumshoe said loudly. "Glad to see you are awake, sir! We apprehended the culprits - caught them just after you fell to the floor!"

"What happened? Was there evidence of a murder?" he asked, fighting past the pain in his throat. Phoenix and Gumshoe shared a glance.

"Yes, sir, you were right. There was."

"Who was the victim?" Edgeworth asked with a fierce stare, and Gumshoe's face fell. It was only then, Edgeworth realized, that his eyes were a little red.

"We don't know yet, the identification and the autopsy are still being done, sir. All they would tell me was that the victim was female, approximately 160 centimeters tall, with light skin and dark hair. The body was found in the janitorial closet of the Club."

"Who have you apprehended?" he asked, choking back his sudden fear.

"We caught two guys. One had Kay's cellphone," Gumshoe said quietly. "The other was an accomplice."

"Accomplice?" Edgeworth repeated.

"Yeah," Phoenix said, finally speaking up. "You're a subordinate on the case, right? The two men responsible for the attacks tonight were the escaped convict from the local prison and his accomplice."

"Attacks?" Edgeworth asked, noting the plural. Gumshoe rubbed the back of his head.

"Kay was with a group of about five girls tonight. Three girls were unharmed, but one was murdered, and the other is in critical condition. She is in a separate ambulance on the way to the hospital."

"There was no way to identify which was which?"

"Well, the two girls were Kay Faraday and Marie Westin," Phoenix said. Gumshoe looked away, his eyes watering.

"Then why can you not just use the pictures in their ID and decipher which is which?" asked Edgeworth hotly, and Phoenix sighed.

"There was too much… damage and blood to decipher their faces. If they had wiped the blood off of the injured girl, they could have figured it out right then, but there wasn't enough time. She was in serious condition, and they rushed her off in the first ambulance that arrived."

Edgeworth closed his eyes.

He had never felt so foolish. That's how he had known his face. He had seen his mugshot a mere two or so days ago. And Kay… he felt a wave of regret wash over him.

"Who will be prosecuting their trials?" he asked coldly.

"Franziska von Karma, since she's head of their case, I suppose," said Gumshoe, wiping his eyes. "She'll see to it that these men get what's coming to them."

Edgeworth tenderly reached a hand up to his throat.

"Here," said the paramedic, taking Edgeworth's coat from the hook and draping it over his form. "We had to take this off when we were inspecting for injuries, but you can have it now."

Edgeworth closed his eyes and drew in a breath.

Ever so faintly, his jacket still held the scent of vanilla.

* * *

**A/N: **So what's the verdict? Terrible, boring? Drop off a review and let me know!


	5. Awake

The Life of a Demon Attorney

**A/N**: Here's chapter 5! Happy Easter, everybody!

The usual disclaimer applies.

* * *

Chapter 5: Awake

"Only a foolish fool can so foolishly get himself into such foolish shenanigans."

Edgeworth found himself stirring to the sound of a familiar accent, followed by the crack of a whip.

"S-sir! He saved her life. If he hadn't alerted everyone, she may as well have been dead by now!" Gumshoe was in the room.

"Yes, well, the child is lucky. But thanks to him this von Karma has lost perfection!"

"How?" came Phoenix's skeptical voice.

"You fool!" Another crack of the whip. "He was my subordinate and yet he found the answers to the case before I did. That is hardly perfection."

"You should go see her, von Karma," came Gumshoe's voice again. "She just got out of surgery."

"That child can handle herself. It's my little brother I worry for."

"But he's older than-"

"Silence!"

_Crack._

Edgeworth heard Gumshoe whimper.

"How long has he been out?" Franziska asked.

"He fainted in the ambulance and has been asleep ever since. Probably for a couple of days now."

Edgeworth shifted, wincing as he did. His throat was throbbing, and he was stiff all over.

"Miles!"

Franziska cracked her whip, and it hit Gumshoe, making him cower in the corner. Edgeworth managed to smirk.

"Franziska," he rasped. "How nice of you to visit."

"How could you be so foolish? To go headfirst into such an attack-!"

"I would appreciate it if you did not question my motives, Franziska." He coughed, feeling the walls of his throat scrape against each other with pain with pain.

"You are my little brother," she said, outstretching an arm to him. "It is my job to question your imperfect motives and ensure that you remain safe and sound."

"Is Kay safe?" he rasped. Gumshoe nodded, albeit grimly.

"She is; she's been undergoing several reconstructive surgeries, but she is fine."

"Why was she hurt?" Phoenix asked, and Gumshoe rubbed the back of his head. A very pale and tired-looking Edgeworth looked at the detective.

"The initial target was Marie, we suspect," Gumshoe said. "According to the results of the investigations and whatnot. Kay apparently caught him in the act of the murder and he tried to destroy his witness. Kay was left to die in the janitorial closet alongside Marie, but luckily Edgeworth called and the rest of us found her in time. The victim, Marie, was unfortunately pronounced dead at the scene."

"How long until I am released?" Edgeworth asked, trying not to think about how Kay must have felt, left to die beside her already dead friend.

"A couple of weeks," said Franziska, her steely glare remarkably similar to Edgeworth's. "I asked the nurse before coming here."

"And how long until Kay is released?" he asked.

"Not for a few months, pal," Gumshoe said with a frown. "She's not even allowed to have visitors until the end of the week. She's in real bad shape and is on an oxygen machine and everything."

Edgeworth closed his eyes.

"I see."

* * *

Edgeworth healed fast and he healed well. He remained still for most of his duration in the hospital, accepting visitors while still managing to be his usual condescending self. Phoenix and Trucy visited him a few times, as did Franziska. Gumshoe stopped by frequently, for a few minutes every day, but he spent most of his hours with Maggey in Kay's room nearby.

When Edgeworth was released at the end of the month, the first thing he did was visit Kay.

Gumshoe was with her, Kay's room literally showered with gifts. Colourful flowers adorned the windowsill, balloons floating merrily by the visitor's table. Cards were strewn about and pictures drawn by Trucy were posted up on the walls. Edgeworth couldn't help but smile; so this was what it was like to be loved. His own hospital room was as cold and white as it had been when he was brought in. The most he had received were formal well-wishes from the office, as well as the Chief Prosecutor.

"Mr. Edgeworth, sir!" Gumshoe exclaimed upon his arrival, standing up. His trench coat flailed about his knees.

"Hello, Detective. Maggey," he said, nodding to the two of them. "I was just stopping by before heading home, to check up on Kay's condition."

The two of them stepped away from her bed, and Edgeworth took a step closer. She lay on her back, perfectly still. Her straight black hair was fanned out beneath her on the pillow, an oxygen mask covering her face.

Edgeworth hid his disgust behind his usual icy expression.

Kay's face had a large, deep gash running from the top of her scalp, across her forehead, to the bottom of her ear. Her skin was pink and raw, as if healing from some major treatment. Her cranium was wrapped in gauze. Her slender neck, he noted, was also covered in gauze that traveled all the way down to her arms. He wondered what horrors had happened to her all those nights ago, and found himself curious as to whether or not someone even as strong as Kay could recover from the ordeal.

Without a word, he turned and left the hospital, driving home to shower and prepare a proper meal. He had lost weight, he noticed, with lack of a proper diet, and sighed when he realized just how behind he was in his work. He went to bed, and when the sun rose the next day, he drove to the courthouse to take his next case. No unnecessary rest for Edgeworth.

Lather, rinse, repeat.

* * *

Phoenix Wright sighed as he brought Trucy to visit her former T.A. Now in the eighth grade, Trucy had made her newest costume, blue this time instead of pink or green. She was in the process of making something called a Mr. Hat, which she assured Phoenix would cheer Miss Faraday up as soon as she was fully awake. Kay Faraday had awoken every couple of days since being brought into the hospital, but she had never managed to stay awake for more than a few minutes. She responded to the doctor's questions, had a sip of water or a small bite to eat before falling asleep again. Each time she woke up, she had no memory of what happened the last time. Edgeworth and Gumshoe used to be in every time Phoenix came to visit. In fact, right then, Gumshoe was watering Kay's flowers while reading her a kid's book. Phoenix had the idea that Kay was like a daughter to the detective. He had learned the story of how he, Edgeworth, and Kay had met, and it made him respect Kay all the more. She had been so collected upon hearing word of her father's death.

"Hey, pal!" said Gumshoe, putting down his plastic watering can. Phoenix slid his hands into his pocket and walked up to him as Trucy took a seat beside Kay. She continued to read the book Gumshoe had been reading aloud, an act that had taken place of her childish drawings a few months ago.

"Hello, Gumshoe," Phoenix said cheerfully. "She looks better this week."

"She's looked better for the past couple of months," Gumshoe reminded him. "Now we're just waiting. But she should look good today, pal. It's her birthday. Kay Faraday is twenty-two."

His eyes brimmed with tears.

Kay Faraday had fallen into a definitive coma six months ago. Edgeworth had been the last to hear the news; everyone else had kept it from him. Phoenix, initially, hadn't understood why until he walked in on Edgeworth placing a soft kiss on Kay's pale hand. Edgeworth had then stood from his seat and met Phoenix at the door; Phoenix could have sworn that Edgeworth's eyes were a little red.

"I'm going to New York," he had said. Phoenix's eyes widened.

"My latest cases take me there and I have no choice."

"But you'll be back?" Phoenix asked. Edgeworth looked away.

"Goodbye, Wright."

Phoenix hadn't seen the Prosecutor since.

She was lucky to wake up, Kay Faraday. A few months after Edgeworth's departure to New York, she finally stirred out of her coma. She found she had lost a year of her life, and had gone from just turning twenty-one to well into twenty-two. The hospital kept an eye on her activity for another week or so, but soon Kay was released. Every day, she asked of Edgeworth, remembering him to be the last person she contacted. Every day, she never got an answer other than "busy with work." Gumshoe insisted Kay stay at his apartment for a little while, so she did. He helped her contact her work, where she had been given a leave of absence since the attack. She was to start again whenever she felt ready. Unfortunately, Kay knew that whether or not she was actually ready, she would have to earn the money to pay her new medical bills.

Kay thought of Marie often. She tried to get together with the friends that had been with her the night of the murder, but the girls were all off in their separate ways. One was attending University in Europe, the other two traveling abroad. Kay was the only one left behind in Los Angeles.

"Hi," she said to the woman behind the desk in the front lobby of the hospital, pulling herself away from her thoughts. "I just received the bill for all my medical treatments, but there seems to be some mistake. It says that the payment's been made but I haven't contributed anything yet. I went to my health insurance's office first, but they said the payment had been directly collected through here."

Kay held out the envelope of documents to the woman.

"Could you just check the database for me and see where the error is?"

The woman nodded and promptly began to type the numbers that corresponded with Kay's bill. Kay found herself waiting there for a few minutes, examining her wrists. She had taken to doing that often since her release. Looking at the wrist bone poking from beneath her skin, she knew she needed to gain some weight. Kay just couldn't find the appetite. She was quiet a lot more of the time, and was even seeing a therapist (upon the doctor's orders) in order to help her overcome any leftover trauma.

"Miss Faraday?" the woman said. Kay glanced at her.

"Yes?"

"There's no mistake. We received a payment from a Mister Miles Edgeworth the day of your release. It says here the bill was redirected to him, and he just forwarded his numbers and we took the payment. Would you like a reprint of the proof of purchase?"

Kay nodded. Upon receiving the statement, she almost cried. Just over twenty thousand dollars worth of treatment over the past year – paid for. Kay and Gumshoe had been preparing for a life-time loan! Now, however, thanks to Edgeworth, she didn't have to worry about any of it! But how could she pay him back?

"Thank you," she said, and she turned to run out of the hospital. She hailed a cab and gave the driver Edgeworth's apartment address. Upon her arrival, she paid the fare and hopped out as fast as she could, running out and pushing a button labeled "452" on the panel.

"Yes?" came the voice from the other side.

"Edgeworth!" Kay exclaimed, voice wavering with emotion. "Edgeworth, let me up!"

"Sorry?"

"It's me, Kay! Let me up!"

"I'm sorry, my name is Antonio. Can I help you find someone else?"

Kay furrowed her eyebrows.

"Doesn't a Miles Edgeworth live here?" she said, holding down the button.

"No," said Antonio. "I've been living here for almost half a year now."

"Oh," Kay said. "Sorry to bother you."

"That's all right."

Kay took a step away from the apartment and glanced at her cell phone. She dialed Gumshoe's number, then quickly erased it, dialing Edgeworth's old cell phone number instead. She had been given her old cell phone back, which Gumshoe had taken from the criminal back after he had been arrested. Apparently both the suspect and his accomplice had been put into prison for life and were awaiting a second trial for execution.

"Hello?" It was the voice of a woman.

"Hi," Kay said softly. "May I please speak with Miles Edgeworth?"

"I think you have the wrong number." Kay closed her eyes.

"Sorry to bother you."

Kay turned and looked back at the apartment.

Where was he?

* * *

Edgeworth sighed, rubbing his sore eyes. It was dark in his office, and he was the only one left in the building. He had been staying in New York for a while now. He stayed in a penthouse suite, and every day he received the guilty verdict he desired. The pay was double here than in Los Angeles, most likely because the courthouse that had him summoned had had to compensate his travel with a higher wage. Edgeworth had no idea what to do with so much money. He already had everything he wanted and needed, anyway. He glanced at the clock. It was ten in the evening. He'd better head back to the suite.

He'd had his car shipped over from Los Angeles in pristine condition, and it was that same car he used to drive to his suite. He parked underground then walked up too many flights of stairs, all to avoid using the elevator. It was not new; Edgeworth always took the stairs.

He was surprised to hear his phone ringing upon opening the door. Edgeworth didn't know many people outside of co-workers and subordinates in New York, so naturally he assumed something happened with one of his new cases, especially since it was now eleven o'clock at night. He picked up the phone.

"Prosecutor Miles Edgeworth speaking."

"Hello."

"Can I help you with something?"

He waited patiently for an answer, glancing at his watch when he realized all he could hear was the other person breathing.

"Are you still there?" he asked.

"Yes," the voice replied.

"What do you want? It's very late and I intend to get to bed soon."

"What? It's only eight o'clock."

Edgeworth's heart stopped. He let silence pass by for several moments before finally speaking, awaiting the worst. Three hours behind…

"Kay?"

"…Yes."

"How did you-?"

"My question first," Kay interrupted. Even through the fuzzy receiver, he could hear her voice waver.

"Why did you leave?"

Edgeworth swallowed.

"The court here summoned me. Innocent men were being put away and guilty men were going free. They wanted a truthful prosecutor to shed the light on things."

"Truthful?" Kay said into the phone.

"Yes," Edgeworth said this time. He heard Kay scoff.

"You didn't wait for me to wake up."

"I did," Edgeworth said quietly. "I waited months for you to wake up."

"Is that all I'm worth?" Kay said. "A couple of months? Gumshoe was with me the entire time."

"I have a life," Edgeworth said, growing suddenly frustrated. "The world does not stop revolving because people die and people get hurt! I cannot put my life on hold waiting for you!" The image of his father, shot in the elevator, flashed before his eyes.

"You don't have a life," Kay said back, and Edgeworth could hear the resentment and bitterness in her voice. "You have a _job!_"

_Click._

Edgeworth was left listening to the beeping of a hung up line.

* * *

**A/N**:R&R for the next chapter!


	6. You Have Been Invited

The Life of a Demon Attorney

**A/N**: Here's chapter 6! To those of you who didn't know, Phoenix Wright is set way in the future. (Well, not _way_, but in the future.) In the first game, there was a line that said, "This case happened fifteen years ago, in 2001!" So in that game, it was 2016. xD Assuming I've done the math right, it is now 2023. (In the year 2016, Edgeworth was 24. He is now 31, meaning seven years has passed, and it is 2023.)

PS - Edgeworth was apparently born in 1992. xD YES. That's my birth year, baby! Date-able? I think so!

The usual disclaimer applies.

* * *

Chapter 6: You Have Been Invited

_Miles Edgeworth,_

_We are delighted to inform you that you have been invited to the wedding of Dick Gumshoe and Maggey Byrde!_

_The Ceremony_

_Where: St. Matthew's Chapel  
19345 67__th__ Street  
__Los Angeles, CA  
When: August 15__th__, 2023 at 1:00 PM _

_The Reception_

_Where: Aura Celebration Hall  
17545 89__th__ Street__  
Los Angeles, CA  
When: August 15__th__, 2023 at 3:30 PM  
Dinner served at 5:00 PM_

_The dress is formal and attendees are advised to arrive half an hour before the ceremony begins. Please detach the following RSVP page and mail it back to the given address._

_"Hope to see you there, pal!"_

_Dick Gumshoe and Maggey Byrde_

Miles Edgeworth sighed as he read over the invitation. As much as he should be, he wasn't surprised. Marriage fit Gumshoe. He would be a great family man.

_Damn_, Edgeworth suddenly thought. _If he's getting married, that means he needs to support a family. That means I'm going to have to increase his salary. I don't enjoy feeling obligatory, but poor Ms. Byrde has enough unfortunate luck in her life. _That would be one of his wedding gifts to Gumshoe. Returning his salary to at least normal. While his results may not reflect good work, he put in a lot more effort than some of the detectives he had met here in New York.

Unfortunately, Miles Edgeworth wouldn't be making it to the wedding.

He couldn't. Kay was angry with him, he was certain. After that angry phone call last week, he hadn't heard anything from her. It was understandable, of course, given the circumstances of how he had rejected her kiss then left while she was recovering from serious injuries. Nonetheless, it would be much too awkward for the both of them (Kay was surely attending) if Edgeworth showed up. Other things conflicted too, of course. Kay wasn't the only reason that he couldn't attend the wedding. What a silly idea! No, no, Edgeworth had more than enough work he couldn't just drop.

Mind set, Edgeworth turned the page with the intention of sending the RSVP back with a small tick in the 'Not Attending' box. A separate, hand-written note slid out onto his lap.

_Mr. Edgeworth, sir!_

_I know you probably don't want to come to the wedding, but I hope you'll reconsider. I want you to be my best man! You've always been there for me, and always showed me that I can't make it easy in the business! I've got to work hard for what I want! Well, I've worked hard, sir, and I'm proud to say that I'm finally getting married! I want you to be there with me, sir, when we finally become Mr. and Mrs. Dick Gumshoe!_

_I better see you there, pal!_

_Gumshoe_

Well, shoot.

How did Edgeworth say no to this one? Gumshoe's childish scrawl was annoyingly touching. Edgeworth set aside the invitation with a frown. He would have to think about it.

* * *

"Maggey, you look beautiful!"

"Aw, thank you, Mr. Wright!"

"Wa- WOAH, pal! The groom is not supposed to see the bride before the ceremony!"

Phoenix and Maggey burst into laughter as Gumshoe covered his eyes, wildly flailing about.

"Come on, champ," Phoenix said, patting the detective's shoulder. "I'll get you to the dressing room where we can wait."

Phoenix led him away, and Gumshoe, dressed in a tux, sat himself down on one of the velvet stools.

"Any word from Edgeworth?" asked Phoenix, and Gumshoe sighed.

"Not even an RSVP. I've written him several e-mails, but I haven't gotten anything in response. Good thing I have a back-up Best Man, though!" Gumshoe chuckled, patting Phoenix on the back.

_Gee,_ thought the ex-defense attorney. _I feel great now._

"Gummy?" The two men turned as Kay's head poked from around the corner of the door. The bear-like detective immediately stood from his seat to give her a hug. Kay returned it gratefully, and Phoenix whistled.

"Wow, you look good, Kay. You can't even notice any of your scars."

"I know," said Kay, holding back a squeal, delighted. She was still thinner than she used to be, but thanks to the wonderful doctors, she barely looked like she'd undergone any physical trauma at all. As a result of her therapist, she was also beginning to act like her old self again, the ghosts of the entire incident slowly being swallowed.

"You look beautiful, pal."

"Thanks! But hey, I'm not the only one!" Pearls, Trucy, and Maya walked into the room as Kay opened the door, and there were hugs all around. Phoenix gave Trucy a big hug, and Maya and Pearls hugged Gumshoe. Maya was a bridesmaid, Trucy and Pearls junior bridesmaids.

"I'm so excited! I've never been part of a wedding before!" Trucy exclaimed, and Gumshoe sent Phoenix a small smile. _Maybe one day,_ Gumshoe thought to himself, _I can have a daughter like that._

Kay nudged the Detective playfully.

"Hey! Get your head out of the clouds! You hafta be focused if you want to wow your bride-to-be on your wedding night!"

"K-Kay!"

_Then again, I have Kay.  
_

"We'd better go," said Kay, glancing at the clock. "We're scheduled to meet Maggey and the others in the hallway in five minutes. I just wanted you all to see each other before the ceremony. I'll see you out there!" She kissed Gumshoe on the cheek, and he blushed, chuckling.

"Good luck, Gummy," she said.

"Thanks, pal."

Usually, the groomsmen walk with the bridesmaids down the aisle, but in this case, the ceremony was small and uneven in female and male members. It had been agreed upon that the groom and his party would enter through a side-door, so after the girls left, Gumshoe and Phoenix quickly made their way down towards the cathedral's side entrance, closest to the altar.

"You nervous, Gumshoe?" Phoenix asked with a smile.

"You kidding, pal?" Gumshoe said, a fierce look in his eyes as they turned the corner. "I've been waiting for this day all my life."

Gumshoe and Phoenix suddenly stopped in their tracks, their gaze landing on the tall, dressed-to-impress figure standing by the door. Neither of them said anything, their jaws dropping in shock.

"Don't stare. It's rude."

* * *

"Don't cry, Miss Maggey, don't cry!" Pearls was patting the bride on the back. Maggey wiped the tears from her eyes, counting on the waterproof mascara to do its job.

"You're getting married!" Maya exclaimed. "Don't get scared!"

"I'm not," Maggey assured them with a shaky laugh, hiccupping. "I'm happy. I never thought I would- not with my luck…"

"Don't cry, Miss Maggey!" Pearls said again. "Gumshoe would hate to see you cry! You'll frighten him!"

"You're right," Maggey sniffled. "You're right, Pearls. Anyone have a tissue?"

"Here," Kay said, pulling one out of the tissues from a box strategically placed by one of the vases of flowers on the nearby table. Maggey picked one up and dabbed at her eyes.

"Let's get this show on the road!" Maya exclaimed, and Kay punched the air with her fist in fierce agreement. Maggey smiled sheepishly, the bashful expression having no place while Maggey looked as beautiful as she did. Maggy's form, often hidden behind a uniform of some sort, was flattered in a white bell-gown, soft gloves going up past her elbow. Her hair was curled, a few strands braiding around her head like a tiara.

"Pearls, would you go and let the choir know we're ready?" Maggey said, and Pearls nodded.

"Of course!"

Pearls ran as fast as her legs could carry her. When she returned, the girls could hear the organ begin to play, and they all quickly formed their line, Kay standing in front of Maggey and her father. Gentle, melodic voices sang in four-part harmony from the orchestra and choir section. Kay watched as Trucy walked down the aisle, then Pearls, then Maya. Her eyebrows furrowed, however, when she caught Maya glancing over her shoulder, a shocked expression on her face directed straight at Kay. Before Kay could even ask, Maya was looking forward again, stepping slowly in rhythm with the music.

Kay glanced over her shoulder and winked at Maggey.

"_Good luck_," she mouthed. Maggey smiled, eyes watery as she tried to hold back tears.

"_Thanks,_" she mouthed back.

Kay drew in a breath and took her first step into the cathedral. She held a small bouquet in her hands, a soft, sky blue dress draping over her form. Maggey had chosen the dress of course. It was the blue badger's color, and Trucy, Maya, and Pearls wore similar ones with elbow-length gloves. Kay's was sleeveless and gloveless, decorative ribbons criss-crossing her bare back. The fabric pooled at her sandaled feet, giving the illusion of gliding. Her long hair was twisted up in a cinnamon bun, a single white flower in the center. Her bangs were left to frame her face.

Kay looked to the girls first; Maya was smiling, but something looked as though it were bothering her. Kay knew Maya wasn't bothered by not being maid of honour, considering she hadn't been around L.A. until recently, so what worried her? Kay tried to catch her glance, but Maya wouldn't look her way. So Kay glanced to Trucy, who was smiling at her, bouncing back and forth on the balls of her feet. Pearls was shyly hiding her face from the crowd behind her bouquet. Kay's gaze finally made it to the groom, and she grinned at Gumshoe, whose eyes were practically shining with excitement. Phoenix nodded at her, but Kay noticed something odd: he wasn't wearing the Best Man's flower.

For the first time, Kay noticed the third man standing at the altar.

Kay stopped walking, for a fraction of a second, as she caught Miles Edgeworth's gaze. He quickly looked away, that usual stony expression on his face. Kay, realizing that she was holding the ceremony up, continued walking at the same slow pace, joining Maya at the altar and standing directly across from Edgeworth. Now she knew what that look from Maya had been for. Her heart began to pound, and her hands grew clammy. Maya subtly reached down and grasped Kay's hand in hers. Kay squeezed. She glanced at Edgeworth, but he was busy looking at the back wall of the Cathedral.

All those sitting in the pews stood as the bridal march began to play, and Maggey entered. There were 'ooh's and 'ahh's, and Maggey blushed. She stepped slowly, but surely, towards Gumshoe. She made it to the altar, where her dad kissed her on the cheek before taking his proper place in the front pew. A tear betrayed Maggey and slid down her cheek just as she turned to face Gumshoe.

Then, she lost her footing.

For once, Lady Luck was on her side. Gumshoe caught her easily, and he laughed, drawing her close in his arms and resting his forehead against hers. A tear slid from his own eye, too. The attendees laughed, and Maggey's face turned a deep pink, but soon the Priest was speaking and the bride and groom were lost in their own little world.

Kay felt Maya squeeze her hand, and Kay glanced at her.

"You okay?" Maya whispered, and Kay nodded.

"Why wouldn't I be?"

Maya didn't respond, simply nodding and seemingly accepting Kay's answer. She glanced at Edgeworth, who still wouldn't look her way. What was he doing there? Phoenix was supposed to be the Best Man!

Kay couldn't believe how slow the ceremony was progressing. She fidgeted with her bouquet, and petals fell from her hands to her feet. Her heart had an irregular beating pattern, and she couldn't figure out why she was acting like that. Why did Edgeworth's appearance make her feel so weird?

_Because you're angry,_ Kay told herself mentally. _You're mad at Edgeworth and haven't had the chance to tell him. Today is your chance! You can finally vent all the anger you've been hiding for the past few months!_

Kay exhaled, trying to calm herself. Why was she angry, though? Edgeworth had been right. It was selfish for her to expect Edgeworth would wait for her to wake from her coma. The world didn't stop because Kay was sick, especially not for the King of Prosecutors.

She had just thought, for a small, brief moment a year ago, that he might care enough to stay. Sure, he didn't have to always visit, but... but why did he have to leave L.A.? He had practically erased himself from the area with no word or letter whatsoever. She supposed that was what hurt the most.

"You may now kiss the bride!"

There was applause and some wolf whistling as Gumshoe kissed Maggey, pulling Kay away from her thoughts. Maggey hadn't been able to make it through the ceremony and was bawling, and Kay wondered for how long. Gumshoe wiped the tears from her eyes before escorting her out of the cathedral to-

"Woah!" Gumshoe's voice could be heard from inside the chapel. "Who ordered the limo?!"

Kay glanced at Edgeworth, who was trying (and failing) to hide a smirk. It quipped at the corner of his lips, and only grew as Phoenix nudged him. As much as Kay had been looking forward to the end of the ceremony, a sudden horror dawned on her:

Edgeworth, as the Best Man, would have to escort her from the chapel.

The music played and Edgeworth finally looked to Kay, waiting for the cue to start walking. He hadn't been there for the rehearsal, so only Kay knew the cue. As soon as the choir met a certain measure, Kay began to walk, sending Maya a frightened glance. Maya just smiled sympathetically as Kay left, Edgeworth mirroring her steps from the other side of the chapel. They met at the aisle, and Kay's arm shakily linked with Edgeworth's. He was warm, she noticed. A subtle vanilla scent invaded Edgeworth's sense of smell.

Neither of them said anything as they walked towards the back of the chapel. Edgeworth's expression was cool and collected, brows raised slightly. Kay looked meek and small next to the broad-shouldered prosecutor.

"You think you could have chosen a better colour than burgundy? We clash." Kay whispered to him just before they reached the lobby. She had to say something; the silence was more awkward than chatter. Edgeworth's expression didn't change as he responded, very quietly,

"On the contrary. I think we complement each other quite well."

Kay dropped her arm from Edgeworth's almost immediately after they entered the lobby; Maggey and Gumshoe's limo had already left, and she turned to face Edgeworth. His arms were crossed. He had on a sky blue vest, a golden, vine-like design weaving around his torso. His cravat held more ruffles than usual, and his hair, of course, was styled to perfection.

_Now's the time,_ Kay's mind chided. _Now's the time to give him what's coming to him._

"Need a ride?" Edgeworth asked, arching a brow. "To the reception?"

Kay swallowed. She would yell at him in the car.

"Sure."

Things never go as planned.

She didn't yell at Edgeworth in the car. In fact, the silence between the two of them was deafening. She kept going over perfect lines to say to him; perfect, dramatic lines that would only be seen in dramas like the Steel Samurai and Jammin' Ninja. Every time she opened her mouth though, her voice failed her, and she took to staring out of his window as he sped down the road, cutting off Phoenix Wright in the process.

"When did Wright get a car?" he asked, glancing in the rear view mirror. Of course he had been the first to speak. Kay swallowed, finding her throat dry.

"Said Trucy was getting older," she said quietly. "Thought it safer to get a car and drive her everywhere instead of bus."

"So he got his license?" Edgeworth asked. Kay shrugged. He glanced in the rear view mirror, where he could see Phoenix was yelling, trying to calm a very eccentric Pearls and Trucy in the back seat. Maya was sleeping in the passenger's seat.

They pulled into the lot of Aura Reception Hall, and Kay jumped slightly as the door of the car car opened on her side. Edgeworth had opened it for her. Unbuckling her seat belt, she got out and rubbed her arm awkwardly. Edgeworth glanced at it, and saw a white scar running from her shoulder to her wrist. He didn't ask, having a good idea of where it came from.

"Shall we head inside?" he said as Phoenix pulled into a parking space nearby.

Kay smiled weakly and nodded. He always had to catch her off guard. Why couldn't she have known he was going to show up at the wedding? If she had known beforehand, she would have the perfect speech prepared, and she wouldn't hesitate in telling it to him and humiliating him in front of the entire room! Instead, she was left shocked and speechless, with no idea what to say or when to say it. They walked into the building, and Edgeworth glanced at his watch: 3:25. The reception was to begin soon. Phoenix and his party entered not too long after Edgeworth and Kay. Edgeworth held open the door, and they all walked in, muttering 'thanks' as they went. Kay lingered behind them, entering the room last, and as she passed by, Edgeworth leaned forward and whispered in her ear.

"I'm sorry."

That was all Kay needed.

She whirled around and slapped him hard across the cheek. Edgeworth blinked, standing up straight and placing a hand on the point of impact. He released his hold on the door, letting it slam shut. Kay's chest heaved with every heavy breath.

"You're _sorry?_ That doesn't cut it, Miles!"

_Miles?_

Edgeworth said nothing.

"I know it's selfish, what I said, but I stand by it! You left! My friend had been murdered, my other friends had left, I had been the victim of attempted murder… I needed you, and you weren't there! You couldn't even stay in L.A.! You ran off to _New York_ for only God knows why, and-!" She closed her eyes, trying to calm herself, and Edgeworth looked away, grasping at his upper arm.

"I had work to do."

Kay's eyes opened and she slapped him again, anger bubbling within her. Edgeworth didn't wince, his eyes only closing when she pulled her hand away, leaving a lingering pain behind.

"Yeah," Kay scoffed bitterly. "Of course you did." Kay swung open the door, not giving Edgeworth the satisfaction of holding it open for her.

* * *

Edgeworth didn't show up for the reception, which was for the best, anyway. No one had expected him to show, so a place for him hadn't be saved, a meal not ordered. Kay, feeling empowered at first, slowly began to feel more and more guilty. She told Maya and Phoenix what she had said after they all ate their dinner, and the two adults congratulated her for standing up to him. Pearls and Trucy, however, who had been nearby, frowned.

"That was kinda mean, Miss Faraday," Pearls said. Trucy nodded in agreement.

"What?" said Maya, glancing at her. "Pearly-"

"He said he was sorry," Pearls interrupted, frowning. Trucy hummed.

"Aren't you supposed to forgive people when they say that?"

Kay looked down to her lap like a puppy caught sifting through the garbage can.

"Well," said Phoenix. "You're right. But sometimes-"

"No," said Kay, standing from her seat. "There's no 'but.' They're right. I should go find him. I was harsh. I was just mad, and I didn't think before speaking." She wasn't wrong; he had been an _ass_, but that didn't excuse her actions. She had yelled when he tried to apologize. Kay ran out of the hall, wondering where she should start looking first. Knowing Edgeworth, he was on the way to airport already, booking a last minute flight to New York. She ran to the sidewalk, looking for a bus stop, but she stopped when she noticed a gaudy red sports car pull into the lot. Kay stopped, watching as the engine shut off and the lights diminished. Edgeworth got out of the car, and Kay was surprised to see two ice cream cones in a drink tray in his hands.

Kay walked up to Edgeworth, slowly. He walked up to her, too. They left a small gap between them, but Edgeworth soon closed the gap by holding out the ice cream cones to her. Kay took the tray. Edgeworth walked behind her then, sliding his burgundy coat around her bare shoulders. Kay briefly closed her eyes at the warmth. Edgeworth moved back in front of her.

Neither of them said anything.

Then, Kay took one of the ice cream cones, and smashed it against his leg.

Edgeworth smirked.

Kay took the other ice cream cone, and rubbed it against his shirt. The cone cracked and fell in pieces to the ground, the ice cream staining the white fabric. She licked her finger.

"Mango," she said. Edgeworth, shivering slightly now, nodded.

"I _am_ sorry, Kay." Kay could see in his face, how difficult it was for Edgeworth to say it. It was probably why he had gone out to buy ice cream, intending to use it as some sort of metaphor since he didn't know how else to express his apology. He probably meant for them to eat it, but Kay found this was much more fun. It felt good, to say the least. She scooped some of the ice cream from his shirt and pressed it into his hair; finally, Edgeworth flinched.

"I know," Kay said, holding back laughter. "Edgeworth?" she said, and he glanced at her from beneath the sticky mess on his head.

"Yes?"

"It's good to see you."

She jumped and he caught her easily. The two of them hugged, Kay laughing as she felt the ice cream make contact with her dress. She could feel Edgeworth's chest relax slightly as he sighed, his eyes closing. He rested his chin on top of her head.

"It's good to see you, too."

* * *

**A/N: **I hope you enjoyed this chapter! R&R for the next one!


	7. Firsts

The Life of a Demon Attorney

**A/N**: And here we are, onto Chapter 7! I want to take this time to thank all you reviewers once again; I'm so glad people are reading this! By the way—I e-mailed and had them add Kay as one of the characters! They got to me a couple of days ago and told me they added her so I made the changes in my story accordingly. :3 Sorry for the late upload, I had an exam yesterday. Augh!

The usual disclaimer applies

* * *

Chapter 7: Firsts

The wedding had been a huge success.

Those who attended had a great time, and by five o'clock the next day, the new Gumshoes were on their way to Riu, courtesy of Edgeworth. Originally they had only had enough money to afford going to Las Vegas – by car – but Edgeworth had showed up with two gifts: a pay raise and plane tickets. Hotel paid for too, of course. All in all, he had thought his gifts generous, and the good deeds fed his ego – until the Detective started howling like a dog and gave him a hug so strong Edgeworth was almost certain he had been close to passing out. Usually such nice deeds were uncharacteristic of Edgeworth, but he had known Gumshoe since before his debut as a Prosecutor, and it was about time the big lug settled down.

The next day, Kay, Phoenix, and Edgeworth all gathered together for lunch. They went out to Denny's (much to Edgeworth's dismay), that same fifties dessert diner that Kay loved so much, and then they tried to take him rollerblading on the boulevard. Edgeworth had been tolerant of their poor choices so far, but he had absolutely refused to rollerblade, claiming he would ruin his newest suit – which looked just like all the others.

As the days passed, Kay and Edgeworth grew close again, just like they had been before the spiral of events that led to him moving to New York. But it was all simply a count down to Saturday morning, the day that Edgeworth was scheduled to return. They grew close, but no intimate memories were shared. Kay didn't tell Edgeworth how painful it had been to try and recover, and Edgeworth didn't tell her how miserable he was in New York. With him leaving so soon, neither of them wanted to sully the good mood. He would do work during the day in his hotel room, then meet up with Kay after her shift ended at _Immaculate Conception._ Phoenix stopped by once in a while to visit, and Edgeworth had the odd inkling that the ex-attorney turned terrible pianist/phenomenal poker player was a lot lonelier than he let on.

Finally, the night came when Edgeworth had to repack his belongings. His flight was scheduled for the next morning. He had done a fantastic job of avoiding Kay's flat the entire week, which only had a lift leading directly to her room with no stairs (just a fire escape outside the balcony.) Unfortunately, she had requested that he come over for one last chat before leaving for the airport, so against his will, he found himself pulling into her parking lot. She was waiting for him out front, and waved merrily as he approached. Edgeworth waved mildly, that usual steely glare overcoming his features as he braced himself.

His eye twitched slightly as he walked into the elevator beside Kay. Kay noticed his hesitation and his awkward silence; he had acted this way the first time he entered her apartment too, all that time ago. He had only done it once, and he had hoped never to do it again.

"Something wrong?" she asked. Edgeworth shook his head.

"Nothing," he lied.

He swallowed as the lift slowly began to rise, dinging with each floor they passed. Why was Kay's floor so high up? And why didn't her building have stairs? He cursed the architect who had designed this building. What happened if there was a fire? Did they expect the elevator to be fire-proof? He supposed there was the fire escape outside the balconies, but he couldn't climb up those every time!

Edgeworth's heart stopped when he felt the elevator stop moving. What? No! His fear was supposed to be in vain! He wasn't actually supposed to get stuck in the elevators – just be _afraid_ that he was going to! Wasn't that how irrational fears worked?

"What's happening?" he asked, his voice just a tad frightened. _No need to panic…_

"Oh," said Kay, frowning. "The elevator gets stuck sometimes."

"Stuck?" he repeated warily.

"Yeah. It's used so often it's bound to get stuck once in a while. I've been living in this building for four years now, and I usually get stuck every few months or so. It should get going in about twenty minutes."

"E- every few…"

"Edgeworth?"

Kay's eyes widened as he backed into the wall of the elevator, sinking to the floor. He had gone obscenely pale.

"Edgeworth, are you okay?"

"Twenty- twenty minutes…?!"

Edgeworth closed his eyes and grit his teeth. Kay crouched down on the floor beside him, her arm sliding around his broad shoulders.

"Hey. Hey! Are you okay?" She furrowed her eyebrows as he moved into a ball on the floor. Kay pulled out her cellphone and pushed a button on the phone.

"Hey. Phoenix? It's Kay. Edgeworth's freaking out."

"Oh yeah? Why?"

"We're stuck in my elevator, and-"

"Oh, _shit._"

Kay stumbled slightly as the elevator jerked, and Phoenix could hear Edgeworth grunt slightly in the background.

"He's afraid of elevators, Kay. And earthquakes, for that matter."

"He is?" Kay asked, glancing at the shaking thirty-one year old on the ground. "Why?"

"He was stuck in one as a kid, because of an earthquake. They were in there for a while. A lot of things happened. You better call emergency."

"Right."

Kay hung up her cell phone and pushed the red button on the panel of the elevator.

"Emergency," a woman answered.

"This is Kay Faraday from the eighth floor," she said. "My friend and I are stuck in the elevator. Could you send someone to fix it for us?"

"Sure. You'll be out of there in about fifteen minutes or so."

"Great," she said. "Thanks."

She looked down to Edgeworth. Now, she realized, their roles were reversed. When had Kay become the calm one?

"Hey," she said quietly, trying to bring him back up into a sitting position. Her arm slid around him again, and his eyes closed tightly.

"Hey, come on, you heard them. We'll be out soon."

Edgeworth drew in a deep breath, refusing to open his eyes._ Inhale, exhale. Inhale, exhale._ Kay watched him with a slight frown.

"We'll be up in my apartment within the hour," she said, trying to comfort him. "We'll have a drink, we'll chat – it'll be good."

_Inhale, exhale. Inhale, exhale._

"Edge-"

"_Ah!_"

The elevator shook heavily again, and Edgeworth fell back against the elevator wall once more, hitting his head on the hand rail and wincing. Kay fell against him, and he caught her, but she could feel his arms were shaking. How would he get down after this? Perhaps the fire escape sounded like a better idea than originally intended.

"Tell me," he said very calmly through closed eyes. "That the wire is not going to snap and that we aren't going to fall."

Kay raised her eyebrows.

"The wire's not going to snap," she said slowly, as though she were speaking to a child. "And we are not going to fall."

"Don't patronize me," he added sternly, and Kay sighed.

"Sorry, Edgeworth – this is just such a weird fear. Elevators? I don't think I've ever-"

"My father was shot in a stuck elevator when I was in Grade 4. I was with him."

Kay raised her hands to her mouth as she gasped in shock, releasing his arms. Edgeworth grit his teeth as it shook; the mechanics must be working the levy to try and get the elevator unstuck.

"Oh- Edgeworth…"

"Stop it."

He didn't want to talk about it.

So they both shared the painful past of murdered fathers. Kay took one good look at the frightened-looking Edgeworth and wrapped her arms tightly around him. He hesitated, trying to calm his racing heart, before returning the gesture.

"Don't think," she told him. "Just hold on and it will all be over soon."

Edgeworth pursed his lips together, nodding curtly.

Kay was right, of course. After one last, solid jerk several minutes of silence later, the elevator was moving.

"This is Emergency," came a voice through the speaker of the panel. "Are you moving?"

Kay pushed the button, and Edgeworth felt a wave of relief hit him.

"We're moving," Kay replied.

"Great."

There was a slight fuzzy noise as emergency disconnected, and the elevator doors opened. Kay's flat, like a haven, was brightly lit and in view. Kay took Edgeworth's hands and helped him out, leading him to her sofa and guiding him to lie down. He was drenched in sweat.

Kay poured a glass of scotch and grabbed a damp towel, both of which she brought to Edgeworth. To her surprise, the usually picky Prosecutor downed the alcohol in one gulp before placing the damp cloth over his forehead. He wasn't sure this was entirely the right remedy to calm him down, but he would do it nonetheless.

"How are you feeling?" she asked. Edgeworth shrugged.

"Do you… want to talk about it?" she asked.

"No." Kay bit back her curiosity and just nodded.

"Okay. Well… if you ever want to. I can actually say I know how you feel."

Edgeworth glanced at her a moment before looking away again.

"Thanks, Kay."

"Hey," Kay said quietly. "I um, I have a spare cot in my closet, if you don't – ah – if you don't want to take the elevator again tonight and just want to rest before your flight in the morning."

"Thanks," Edgeworth said again. Kay tried not to look surprised; he was probably not too willing to go back down after that. She was just happy he didn't go off on a tangent about improper manners and things like that.

"Want more scotch?" she asked as he removed the cloth from his head and set it neatly aside.

"If you don't mind."

Kay grabbed the bottle and poured another glass for Edgeworth as he sat up on the couch, wiping his brow. He took the glass and drank it more slowly this time, looking more calmed down.

"You okay now?" she asked him. He adapted that distant, almost pained look on his face as he looked away.

"Fine."

Kay took a seat on the edge of her coffee table so she was sitting across from Edgeworth. Their knees were touching.

"Do you have to leave for New York tomorrow?" she asked. It was Edgeworth's turn to glance at her in surprise, and she looked away.

"Well, I do live there now."

"Yes, well… I know. It was just…" she struggled to get out her words, but quickly gave up and shook her head. "It was nice to see you, that's all."

There was tension in the air, and Kay didn't like it. She tried to think of a way to lighten the mood.

"Have any New York women tried to take you home?" she asked. Edgeworth arched an eyebrow.

"A few," he said uncomfortably.

"Funny," Kay said. "You went home with _me_ tonight. Should I feel honoured?"

"I think so," Edgeworth said, slowly seeping back into his usual cool demeanor. Kay watched as he finished his scotch and poured another glass.

"What?" he asked, noticing her glance. Kay shook her head.

"Nothing."

"Well," he said, raising the glass to his lips. "For what it's worth, I missed you while I was in New York."

Kay glanced at him. He wasn't looking at her. In fact, he was looking everywhere _but_ at her, and she noticed a slight pink to his cheeks.

"You did?"

"Sure."

"Edgeworth, are you… are you being _nice?_"

Edgeworth said nothing, sipping at his drink. Kay was grinning like an idiot. She stood from her seat and walked behind the couch, wrapping her arms around Edgeworth from behind.

"I missed you, too," she said. He nodded as though she had told him something as simple as the time, but he could feel a slight lurch in his stomach. He said nothing as she hopped over the couch to sit beside him.

"How do you manage to smile so much?" he asked her, arching a brow. Kay blinked.

"What?"

"I was there the day your father was murdered in the Courtroom. I saw you when you found out. You were so calm – especially for a ten year-old. You managed to get over it and be so happy. I lost my father, and I…" he trailed off. He turned into the mess she saw now.

"You what?" she asked. "Became exceedingly wealthy and successful?"

"You know what I mean." Edgeworth found it difficult to smile. Kay shrugged, resting her head on his shoulder as she thought about it.

"I guess because I have people like Gummy. People that care about me. People like you, when you're not being an asshole."

Edgeworth managed a smirk. He leaned close, whispering teasingly in her ear.

"Are you saying, Miss Faraday, that you have people who care for you while I do not?"

"No," Kay answered, turning her head slightly so she could see his face. "I care." Edgeworth was looking right into her eyes. For several seconds they sat there, just looking, and before she knew it, he was leaning. She leaned closer to him, her heartbeat suddenly picking up in speed. Finally they met, lips touching ever so softly. She hummed quietly against his lips – but then, in horror, she realized what she was doing and quickly pulled back. Edgeworth was expressionless, per usual, and after a moment's hesitation, he spoke.

"Kay," he began, and she dreaded the worst. "I know that - hmm - Do you think – perhaps – we could just…"

She closed her eyes, waiting for the fresh wave of rejection to hit.

"… try that one more time?"

Kay's eyes widened as she looked at him. Edgeworth's face was nothing short of serious. Fighting back a grin, Kay threw her arms around his neck, pushing him back into the couch. He was actually kissing her back! His lips were soft, warm, his movements fluid but gentle. Kay tried to inspire some heavier reactions from him, but something suddenly struck her. She pulled away, very slightly, and looked Edgeworth in the eye.

"Have you… have you ever had sex before?"

The Prosecutor assumed another passive look.

"No."

Kay exhaled in disbelief.

"How is that possible?"

Edgeworth's lips pressed together in a thin line, and he didn't bother to humour her with a response. Instead, he leaned forward and captured her lips in another kiss. He kept things calm, enjoying the moment more than he let on. However, he felt Kay push his jacket off of his shoulders and move to undo the buttons of his shirt. He quickly pulled back.

"Wait," he breathed. "Just- just wait."

Kay blinked, leaning back slightly from where she sat on his lap. Edgeworth swallowed as he looked at her. Did the age difference really not bother her? It didn't bother him – his parents had been eleven years apart, and they were only nine and a month – but she was just this… this young, beautiful woman with her whole life ahead of her. He was an old soul who grew up too fast. Then again, looking at her, with her long hair and her pink dress, sitting on his lap, no less, it was actually very hard for stoic Edgeworth to stay no. Mustering up the last of his will power, trying to ignore his excited heart, he said took her hands in his and moved them away from his shirt.

"So… so soon?" he asked. She sent him an incredulous look.

"I only just got back from New York last week," he explained, "and we- you know- we haven't really..." He trailed off and almost felt insulted when he saw Kay, bored, glance at her nails.

"Edgeworth, I've known you since I was ten. I'm twenty-two now. Don't mind me saying this, but this isn't exactly the fastest-paced relationship out there."

_Touché. _

"Kay," he tried one last time. "I don't know if this is such a good idea. My plane leaves in a few hours, and I don't know when I'll be back next." He watched her carefully for a reaction, surprised not to see hurt on her face. In fact, she smirked instead and leaned forward, whispering in his ear.

"We better make this worth it then."

* * *

**A/N**: R&R for the next chapter!


	8. The Prosecuting Award

The Life of a Demon Attorney

**A/N**: Here's Chapter 8! Enjoy!

The usual disclaimer applies.

* * *

Chapter 8: The Prosecuting Award

Miles Edgeworth sighed deeply as he heard the alarm go off on his phone. The Steel Samurai's original theme song played loudly, and he reached an arm over to the bedside table to shut it off.

"Mmf," came a voice beside him. "Watch it."

Looking beneath his arm, Edgeworth spotted Kay, cloaked in darkness. He smiled despite himself and slid back beneath the covers of her bed. She snuggled up to him, a gesture so foreign Edgeworth wasn't quite sure what to do for a moment. Soon enough though his arms wrapped around her and drew her close. Her skin was warm against his, and it instilled him with such a strong feeling he was almost certain he had never felt before.

"You have to leave now?" she asked quietly, voice still groggy. He glanced at her digital clock, big red numbers staring him in the face.

"In about an hour, yes," he said softly.

"Damn," said Kay, her hold on him tightening. "We shouldn't have gotten to bed so late."

"That," Edgeworth said with a smirk, "was not my fault." Absent-mindedly, he ran a hand through Kay's black hair.

"No? Well I don't think I slid naked beneath these sheets alone, so I'd rethink your last statement."

Edgeworth smiled. He thought back to the hours before, the memories still fresh in his mind. It had been unlike anything he had ever experienced before. His stomach did a back flip just thinking about it. Miles Edgeworth was not incapable of emotions, he just chose to hide them a lot the time.

"Only an hour and a half of sleep," Kay groaned, turning in his arms so she could see her clock. "How is that possible? How are you functioning?"

"I'm not sure," he said quietly. Kay tilted her head up, placing several soft kisses along Edgeworth's neck and jawline. He closed his eyes, heart beating a little fast.

"You lasted pretty long there, all things considering," Kay said innocently. Edgeworth coughed, clearly uncomfortable with discussing everything that had happened in actual words. Kay laughed, pressing her form against his. It was so weird, Kay had thought when they were falling asleep not too long ago. It was like every curve of her body fit perfectly against his. She had never felt that comfortable with anyone else before. Kay, after struggling with the temptation to be lazy, reached over to turn on her lamp, sitting up and holding the bed sheets to her chest.

"All right," she said, fighting a yawn. "I'll go shower."

Edgeworth sat up.

"What?"

"I'm going with you to the airport. What else?"

"Oh, no, Kay, you don't have to. Really-" He stopped talking as soon as Kay brought her face so close to his, their noses were touching.

"Edgeworth, you are not going to talk me out of seeing the man I slept with off to the airport. Okay?"

He smirked. As much as he could try and deny it, he knew it would be nice to be seen off by someone. He dreaded the minute he would have to leave her side. Damn. Sex made everything complicated.

"Fine," he said. "I'll just make sure I have everything and pack up while I wait."

"You can shower after me," she said. "You have your toothbrush in your suitcase?"

"Of course."

"Good. I don't want you smelling when you get to the airport."

They got dressed for the day quietly and efficiently, and Edgeworth found himself in his usual suit after his shower. He had spent the night in Kay's flat of course, and while he was not looking forward to the trip down the elevator, he had no other choice. If he was going to make it through security and luggage detail, he would have to be there within a half an hour. As he double and triple checked to make sure he wasn't forgetting anything, his mind wandered back to Gumshoe. The detective had such fire over the years, something that hadn't changed. He recalled the murder of Detective Goodman, a good seven years ago. Gumshoe had placed his job on the line to prevent him from resigning. Edgeworth had been so certain that they would both be out of a job. What if everything back then had fallen through? What if he had resigned or been fired? He wouldn't be a prosecutor today, and he certainly wouldn't have met Kay again when she was seventeen.

"You ready?"

Edgeworth glanced up, last night's events playing in the back of his mind. He felt so moved by what had happened, but he had no idea how to express it to her without sounding unlike himself.

"Yes," he said, standing from where he was closing his suitcase. Kay cocked her head to the side and placed a hand on her jutted out hip.

"Would it kill you to show some emotion for once?"

"I think I showed you more than enough last night," he said, making Kay laugh and wrap her arms around his middle. Every time she did that, he found himself temporarily stunned. It would take some getting used to. He wrapped his arms around her again, breathing in her vanilla-scented shampoo.

"Erm… last night," he said quietly. "Kay, it was-"

"I know."

Kay placed a single kiss on Edgeworth's lips. When they pulled away, he picked up his suitcase and gestured to the elevator. He looked as though he were trying to dismiss a thought.

"Shall we?" he said instead.

Kay swallowed, nodding her head.

"Sure, Edgeworth. Let's go."

When they arrived at the airport, Edgeworth driving onto the dock that would ship his car over to New York, Kay walked out with him. She waited to the side as he showed his ticket to the pretty attendant behind the counter. He was, of course, taking iFly Airlines, first class. The attendant batted her eyelashes, played with her hair, and leaned forward just a little too far while interacting. Kay bit her lip as she watched the attendant eye him appreciatively as he lifted his suitcase onto the scale. Considering the attention he received, it really was hard for Kay to believe that his first time with a woman had been last night. Her heart fluttered each time she thought about it; judging by Edgeworth's demeanor, she had expected him to be a clean and neat lover. Skillful, efficient… but he had been an entirely different person. He hadn't kept himself at a distance like he usually did. It was as though he had given himself entirely to her, something that left Kay feeling unsettled. It had been one of the most magical nights of her life, and now she was watching as he prepared to fly across the country.

How could she care so strongly for a man who had hurt her so badly in the past?

Kay rubbed her arm as she thought back to when she had awoken from her coma. Edgeworth was always on her mind, Kay hoping to see the man who had rescued her. He had been the man she called in her time of need. He had power, he had influence, and he had managed to save her before she ended up like Marie. She didn't see him though; she had found out, the hard way, that he had left the country. That had been the biggest slap in the face. But how could she say any of this to him? They were so close, and yet they were strangers. They got along well, but neither knew a lot of intimate details about the other. It was hard to share such deep secrets, and she didn't know why.

"All right," he said minutes later as he approached her, suitcase-less. His ticket was tucked neatly into his pocket.

"I'd better head to the gate."

"Right," said Kay. They stayed silent for a little bit, a tension forming between them.

"I would stay," he said quietly. "But I have a trial scheduled for a few hours after I land."

"Oh, it's all right," Kay said, swallowing. She could feel a sort of poison rise up her throat; she was suddenly faced with the challenge of not crying. The realization that he was leaving _again…_

"You can't put your life on hold for me, right?" she said, attempting to be cheerful to cover up the tears that were threatening to fall.

Edgeworth's passive expression faded into one of shock.

"No, Kay, that's not-"

"It's fine," Kay said, inhaling a shaky breath. "Really. I'll see you later. We'll keep in touch, right?"

"Kay," he said, stepping closer to her and lifting her chin up so she was looking at him. Her gaze quickly avoided his face, focusing on one of the ceiling fans above.

"Last night, it wasn't just _any_ night. I don't expect there to be no stri-"

"Edgeworth," Kay said quietly. "Last night was special. I know. But… you should go. It'll be a lot harder if you say anything more."

Edgeworth watched her for a bit, before he stepped back and nodded. He knew what she was doing. If they shared emotion now, so close to his departure… everything would be so much harder. Perhaps he was rubbing off on her.

"Yes," he whispered. "I suppose I should."

Edgeworth leaned in for a kiss, but Kay turned her head slightly to the side so that his lips only met the corner of hers. He pulled back, and spared but one glance in her direction.

"Goodbye, Kay."

"Bye, Edgeworth."

Kay watched as he turned, ever so swiftly, and walked through the sliding doors.

"Hey."

Kay turned and saw Phoenix standing there, eyes tired as he scratched his turquoise toque.

"He left?"

"Yeah," Kay said quietly. "Just did."

"Damn. I was hoping to see him off. Did he say when he'd be back?" Phoenix asked, and Kay shook her head.

"No."

"Shoot. I miss that Prosecutor every time he leaves." Phoenix frowned as he glanced at the doors Edgeworth had apparently disappeared through. Kay's lip trembled slightly.

"Me too."

* * *

It was about a month or so that Kay went without hearing from Edgeworth. No e-mails were sent to her, and likewise, she sent none to him. She canceled her sessions with her therapist despite the fact she may need someone to talk to.

_If I want to talk to someone, it's not going to be a stranger,_ she told herself. It was never the same, sleeping in her bed after she and Edgeworth had shared it together. She dreaded sleeping because every time she slid beneath those covers, she found herself missing the comfort and security he had provided her with. Phoenix and her met every Friday over grape juice, and once the Gumshoes returned from their honeymoon, she had lunch with them almost every other day.

Kay was finally beginning to move on.

The skeletons in her closet were slowly beginning to clear, and the shadows of the past were becoming less of a burden and more of a memory. She smiled, as always, and kept her promises just like her dad had asked her to all those years ago.

"How's your work going this week?" Maggey asked as she placed a plate in front of Kay. Kay grinned.

"Great! The first month of school is always the most fun. It's Justice Month, so all the classes are holding mock trials, competing for awards…"

"Awards?" Gumshoe asked, rubbing the back of his neck. "What kind of awards?"

"Oh, there's quite a few. One for each grade, at least. We've got the Defense award for the child who stands up for kids in their class. We've got the Prosecuting award for the kids who display the most honesty…"

"Honesty?" Maggey repeated with a smirk. "You sure it's right to title that award a 'prosecuting' award?"

"Well," Kay said with a shrug. "I suppose it's a bit much to try and convince the kids they deserve an award for tattling and providing evidence, so this is a roundabout way of putting it. If they fight for honesty, then they get the award."

"Sugar-coated awards," chuckled the detective. "I get it."

"We're actually thinking of having actual attorneys and detectives hand them out. Inspire some career dreams, you know? What do you think, Gummy?" Kay leaned forward with that glint in her eye.

"You want to give out the Detective award? For the kid who first completes our treasure hunt after following all the clues?"

"That is one crazy school," Maggey murmured. Kay giggled, and the girls watched as Gumshoe adapted an inspired look in his eye.

"I love kids, pal! You know I'll do it if you want me to!"

"Sure, let me talk to the principal about it. Maybe I can get Phoenix to hand out the Defense award."

"Oh, I don't know, pal," Gumshoe said with a sudden frown. "He's not a defense attorney anymore."

Kay shrugged.

"The kids don't have to know that. We could easily fake a defense attorney badge out of cardboard."

"So will you have pick of who gives out the awards?" asked Maggey.

"Nah," Kay said, shaking her head. "I can only recommend. I'll write a letter to the principal."

* * *

At the end of September, all the students gathered together in the Parish Hall of _Immaculate Conception_, as was ritual for the school each month. There was a different theme for every month, and as such, different awards, meant to inspire the kids to work hard. Kay grinned as she saw the children walk in single file, taking seats in certain areas based on their grade. She was hiding behind the curtains with Gumshoe and a very different-looking Phoenix. He was dressed in a navy blue suit, his hair spiked. Both of them were grinning as they whispered, clearly excited to be handing out awards.

"Too bad Trucy's already in junior high," sighed Phoenix. "She would have loved to receive an award from her dad."

Gumshoe chuckled.

"Hey – wish my kid were here right now. I mean, they would have loved this, too."

Phoenix and Kay stared at the detective.

"Gummy…" Kay said. "What? You don't have any…"

The detective broke out into a broad grin.

"Maggey's expecting, pals! I just found out the news this morning!"

Kay was immediately all over Gumshoe, jumping up and down in his arms.

"Congratulations!" she squealed. Phoenix pat the man on the back.

"Hey – congrats! It's great to be a dad, take it from me!" They quieted when the principal walked by to hush them, and Phoenix took a look around.

"So there's quite a few people here to hand out awards," he noted. Kay nodded.

"Yeah, I didn't pick them. I only recommended you two, so…" she looked around. Edgeworth was in New York, so there had been no point in recommending him.

"We better get in place, anyway. The assembly's about to start."

There were chairs on the stage for those distributing awards. Teachers' chairs were lined along the sides of the Parish Hall, by each of their classes. Kay was to be the speaker of this month's assembly, so she gladly accepted the list of all the awards from the principal before walking up to the podium. She waited patiently for silence, which took a few seconds to achieve, but soon she was speaking into the microphone.

"We are gathered here today," she recited, "to award the students who have stood out the most this month of September. We have held events and given prizes, and each teacher has kept a close eye on their students. There are eight awards to give out, and we ask that you hold your applause until after each student has received their award."

Kay gave brief descriptions of each award before they were handed out, and there was applause all around. The spirits were high in the Parish Hall that afternoon, and she was glad to see the kids interact so well with the adults they had called down for the day. She watched as Gumshoe and Phoenix each shook a child's hand, handing them a golden trophy of some shape or form. The kids looked so happy, and Kay knew that this was what she was meant to do: help and educate kids, especially about the truth! Just as well – she had been a terrible thief, anyway.

"And last, but not least, we have our Prosecuting Award. Prosecutors are known for their battles in court. They present evidence to try and explain the truth behind whatever happened in a case and obtain a verdict. Therefore, the student who has been awarded this prize is a child who doesn't lie. A trustworthy student that many teachers here have grown to love. This child has had no shame in admitting they forgot to do their homework, not bothering with excuses like it being eaten by the dog." An appreciative laughter swept over the crowd for a few brief moments. Kay glanced at the award written on her list, and almost gasped when she read the name beside it.

"It-" she swallowed, trying to contain her nerves. "It is with great pleasure that I ask Miles Edgeworth to come forward and present the Prosecuting Award."

Kay really should have read the list beforehand. She could be so flaky sometimes.

There were quiet murmurs as people looked around. One chair on the stage was empty – supposedly where Edgeworth should have been seated. Kay glanced at the principal, who looked as lost as she did. Where was the Prosecutor? Furthermore, how had she been given permission to start this assembly when one of the authority figures wasn't even present?

"Sorry I'm late," came a smooth voice from behind the curtains. A burgundy suit with white ruffles stepped into view, and Kay's jaw dropped, just a little. He whispered to her.

"My flight was delayed. I had a little trouble getting through security."

Kay quickly snapped to her senses.

"Um… The winner of the Prosecuting Award is Jeremy McKenna!"

The students cheered, per usual, as Jeremy, a small fifth grader, walked up onto the stage. Kay handed Edgeworth a trophy, which he accepted. He knelt down and whispered something in Jeremy's ear before handing it over, and Jeremy beamed before running back down to his seat.

"Lunch break will end at 1:36," Kay said into the microphone. "You are dismissed. Congratulations to everyone!"

Loud chatter erupted as soon as Kay was finished, and children ran to their classrooms to grab their lunchboxes from their cubby holes. She turned to Edgeworth almost immediately, her eyes wide, but an undeniable grin on her face.

"What are you doing here? I had no idea you-"

"Wright sent me an e-mail," Edgeworth said with a shrug. "So I took the liberty of offering my availability to your principal."

"But why? I mean – it's so far just for a ceremony!"

"I'm done with New York, Kay," Edgeworth said with a smirk. "I finished up my last case and made arrangements to move back into my old apartment. I had to pull a few strings, but nonetheless, the Prosecutor's Office here was fine with me coming back. I would have contacted you, but I thought you'd be happier with a surprise."

"You douche!" Kay exclaimed suddenly, smacking him hard on the shoulder. Edgeworth's eye twitched.

"Douche?" He'd never been called a douche before. Wasn't that French for the word 'shower?' Kay suddenly jumped into Edgeworth's arms and she clutched him in a tight hug, which he happily returned.

"You should have told me!" she exclaimed.

"Aw, but if he had, we wouldn't have had the pleasure of watching you call him a douche!" Phoenix and Gumshoe were standing there now, both grinning at the sight of Edgeworth. "You ever hear of a normal entrance, Edgeworth? It doesn't always have to be dramatic," Phoenix pointed out. Edgeworth eyed his attire.

"Sorry Wright, has it ever occurred to you that you aren't a defense attorney anymore?"

"Shut up, Edgeworth."

Kay turned Edgeworth's chin so that he was facing her instead of Phoenix, and she brought him into a passionate kiss. Edgeworth blushed deeply as he returned it, very aware of his subordinate and his ex-rival watching. When they broke apart, Edgeworth looked away, but Kay held his arms so they were still wrapped around her waist.

"Woah," Gumshoe said with a grin. "Get a room, pals!" He paused.

"Wait wait - you two - _huh?_"

Kay winked at Edgeworth. Good ol' Gumshoe - always so clueless.

"Hey… you shouldn't blush so much, Edgeworth, you clash with your suit when you do."

Phoenix grinned at the icy glare he received from pink-faced Edgeworth. Kay kissed Edgeworth again, and Gumshoe couldn't help but grin despite his shock. He was older than Edgeworth by quite a bit, but he had known the kid since he was twenty. At that young age Edgeworth had already been more mature and intelligent than Gumshoe by a long shot. He was always so serious, and he took such pride in his work. He had a dramatic flare, sure, almost to a fault, but it was just who Edgeworth was. Anyone who knew him really well could understand that.

And looking at him now?

Well.

Gumshoe was just content to see him really smile.

"You got anyone like that at home?" Gumshoe whispered to Phoenix. Phoenix smirked, sliding his hands into his pockets.

"Nah," he said quietly. "Just me and Trucy."

"Hey!" the Detective yelled loudly. "Let's go out to lunch, huh? On this defense attorney right here!" Gumshoe chuckled and pat Phoenix on the back.

"Huh? What?!"

Edgeworth and Kay smirked at each other as Phoenix pointed his finger at Gumshoe.

"OBJECTION!"

* * *

**A/N**: R&R for the next chapter!


	9. Seasons

The Life of a Demon Attorney

**A/N**: A lot of people have been talking about pairing Phoenix with someone, but I'm not sure what exactly I want to do yet. xD So sit tight, hopefully I'll figure something out. Thanks for all the reviews, I never expected to get so many in this category! O_O Enjoy Chapter 9!

**Golden-Owl**: It's not the end of the fanfic. Usually the main character yells out 'objection' at the end of the game, but it wasn't the end of my fanfc, just the end of my chapter. I'm still going. Haha. Sorry if it was misleading. ^^

The usual disclaimer applies.

* * *

Chapter 9: Seasons

"Are you… are you up _already?_"

Kay smirked as she shrugged on a wrinkled dress shirt, doing up the buttons.

"I'm just not tired, okay? Blame it on the high I'm having from last night."

"I hope you're aware that's _my_ shirt?" Edgeworth sat up, rubbing the shadows beneath his eyes with a small smirk. Kay turned to face him, placing her hands on her hips.

"I _am_ aware, as a matter of fact," she said. "Your point?"

"It's much too large for you," he said, doing his best to keep his eyes on her face.

"It's supposed to be cute after sex."

"… Oh." Kay sat down beside Edgeworth on the edge of the bed. They were at his apartment suite at Kay's insistence; she had claimed that it needed a proper 'house warming.' She smirked and gave him a lingering kiss. He pulled her closer, leaning back in bed. She moved towards him, but was stopped by a loud knock. Kay blinked.

"Do you want me to..?"

"If you don't mind," he said. "I'm – ah – not exactly decent." Kay nodded as the shirtless Edgeworth emerged from beneath the sheets in favour of finding clothes from his closet. Not many knew he had moved back into his old apartment, or that he was even back, so he saw no harm. Kay slid on her shorts before walking out of the bedroom, to the main door and opening it, trying to straighten out her hair as she did.

"Y- _you_!"

Kay's eyes widened as she dodged the crack of a whip.

"Franziska von Karma!"

"Good to see you are well," said Franziska in her usual passive tone. "I am here to see Miles."

"Oh. Yes, of course. Come in, won't you? I can grab him…"

Franziska walked in, and instead of taking a seat on his couch, she stood by it, her arms crossed and eyes closed. Kay headed back to his bedroom, suddenly feeling very silly in his white dress shirt and her own black shorts.

"Wait," Franziska said, appraising Kay's attire. "So you are seeing my little brother?"

"Erm…" Kay wasn't really sure what the answer to that was. He had only gotten back yesterday, after all. They hadn't really had a chance to talk about anything like _that…_

"Well," said Franziska. "That is surprising. I always thought Miles was…"

"Gay?" Kay asked with a grin. Franziska shrugged mildly.

"So… you two are seeing each other, though, yes?"

Kay bit her lip. Somehow she didn't see Franziska or Edgeworth appreciating the term 'friends with benefits.'

"Well. I-" Her heart almost stopped when she felt the door open just a crack, Edgeworth's fingers slipping out. They brushed against her side before grasping the fabric of the dress shirt, trying to pull her back into the bedroom. Clearly he had no idea that she invited someone in and wanted her back inside.

"Oh, so _Franziska!_" Kay said loudly. "What an interesting question you have, _Miss Franziska von Karma!_"

"Why must you keep repeating my name, child?"

Edgeworth's hand snapped back inside the bedroom and the door shut quietly.

"Sorry, he'll be out in a minute." Kay looked around, trying to think of a way to avoid Franziska's question. "Tea?"

"Please," she replied.

Kay hurried to heat the kettle and gather up the tea leaves, and it remained silent between the two women until Edgeworth walked into the living room. He was dressed impeccably, per usual, his hair neat, teeth brushed. He looked as calm and collected as always.

"Franziska," he greeted with his usual smirk. Franziska crossed her arms again.

"What brings you here so early?"

"You return to the country without telling your own sister?!" She whipped the floor, making another loud _crack_ sound. Kay laughed.

"He didn't tell anyone," she pointed out.

"Imbecile!" Another _crack._ Edgeworth shrugged mildly as he accepted a tea cup from Kay. Franziska nodded to the girl in thanks, that scowl still on her face as she brought her lips over the cup and blew. What a day to learn that Miles Edgeworth was seeing a girl younger than herself. Almost like… a slap in the face.

"If I had told you," Edgeworth said calmly, "You would have come to the airport to see me."

"And what is so bad about that?" asked the German woman sharply. Edgeworth smirked.

"Well, nothing, essentially, dear Franziska, except that you have one of your biggest trials ever later this morning, and I did not wish to keep you late."

"How do you-?"

"You're in the newspaper," said Edgeworth. "It's not the most secret of trials. I sent you some more of the evidence while I was still in New York, if you recall."

"That was _you?_"

"Naturally."

Kay, completely oblivious to what they were even referring to, politely diverted her eyes to her lap.

"It is good to see you, little brother," Franziska said, albeit a bit grudgingly. Edgeworth stepped closer to the woman.

"It- it is tough when you are gone. And yet you still manage to find ways to help a von Karma maintain her perfection as much as possible." Edgeworth took another step closer to her. Kay watched curiously from the corner of her eye, trying to be subtle.

"This case- it- I-"

"I know," said Edgeworth softly.

And suddenly Kay was looking up, her eyes widening as the two coldest people she had ever met embraced each other, Franziska's eyes tearing up. Was she- was she actually _crying?_ The woman had enough emotion to cry?! Edgeworth glanced at Kay over her shoulder, and Kay nodded, silently slipping back into the safety of Edgeworth's bedroom. She could hear Franziska sniffle from the other side of the door.

"_Welcome home, little brother._"

* * *

Kay felt like she had reached her happy ending.

She had it all: a great job, a great social life, and even a great boyfriend. Miles Edgeworth, one of the most well-known prosecutors in L.A., was dating simple Teacher's Assistant Kay Faraday. She found herself going out a lot, being treated to dinners, and once in a while, even receiving expensive, but simple gifts – complete with a blushing Edgeworth. Of course, Kay wasn't always the type to eat out at fancy restaurants. Once or twice a week she slept over at his apartment, forcing him to cook with her. She would insist on deviously unhealthy dishes and make him eat with his fingers. If he so much as tried to use cutlery when eating a burger they had cooked together, she would threaten to throw a pickle at him in his new suit.

She was good for him. That was what people always said to her, including Franziska. Franziska would stop by his apartment a few times during the week, and even come to his office during the day for help with her case, though would never lose her composure like she had that one day upon his return. That had been a rarity, a once in a lifetime thing. Edgeworth would store evidence for the intelligent woman, help deduce answers... The two, Kay realized, were a lot closer than they had first seemed. But Kay was exposing Edgeworth to everything he had missed while growing up with Franziska: all-nighters, s'mores, Friday night movies… Yes, she was on cloud nine. They'd had one amazing night, celebrating their six-month anniversary, when, while lying in bed, they had shared everything. Kay finally told him what it had felt like to have him leave. He shared his agony in New York, admitting that he'd thought he was doing a good (although cowardly) thing for Kay by leaving, hoping she would find someone else. Kay confessed to crying herself to sleep for months after her father died, and Edgeworth finally told Kay of the DL-6 incident that had taken his father's life. When he told Kay of everything that had spiraled into, including his 'suicide' note, she had smacked him on the head and proclaimed what a drama queen he was. Everything was amazing…

Or at least, it was for a little while.

* * *

_Brring! Brring!_

"Prosecutor Edgeworth speaking."

"Hey, _Prosecutor._ It's me."

"Ah. Kay, I'm a little busy at the moment. Franziska has been in and out of my office, obsessed with her current case."

"What else is new? I just wanted to make sure that we were still on for the movie tonight."

"Ah, right…"

"You forgot, didn't you?"

"I'm sorry, I've just been so wrapped up in my own case."

"I know," Kay said quietly. "It's all over the news."

"I can't believe I forgot— Sorry, Kay. I was really looking forward to it, but I have to stay late tonight."

"It's fine. I'll hang out with Gummy and Mags. Little Courtney is so cute!"

"She is, indeed. Who knew the scruffy detective could produce such adorable offspring?" Edgeworth listened to Kay laugh at his remark. He smirked.

"I'll pick you up from there, all right?"

"Yeah. I'll see you soon."

_Click._

Kay frowned slightly as she slid her cell phone into her pocket. This was the third dinner that Edgeworth had forgotten. To be fair, it had all started with this case. There had been a string of murders, the victims all staff members of a certain school. The killer had left no evidence, no DNA, nothing to go off of, and it was really giving the offices a hard time. But the police had finally caught a suspect earlier that month, someone with enough motive to kill each and every one of the victims. So the suspect was in for questioning, and Edgeworth was doing his best to build up a strong case. It was the biggest case he had handled in a while, so Kay was understanding. Edgeworth had been nothing but doting up until then, so the case really must be the cause of it all.

"Oh, shoot," said Kay, fishing through her purse. "He still has my wallet." She thought back to the previous night, when she had taken Edgeworth grocery shopping. (He, apparently, ordered his groceries online and had them delivered to his door. It had been quite the experience, taking him around the super market.) She had forgotten her purse and asked him to hold her wallet, and he still had it. If she and the Gumshoes were to go out for dinner, she would need her wallet. It had her ID in case she felt like a drink, not to mention most of her money.

"Well," Kay said to herself, slinging a bang over her shoulder and picking her card key from the bowl on her counter. "Guess I'll have to stop by the office first." She picked up a few of the stray bills she had left in the bowl and slid them into her pocket so she could hail a taxi.

It took about twenty minutes to reach the High Prosecutor's Office. She really hated going here. While everyone was polite, Kay was rarely dressed up to their standards. When they nodded at her in passing it really felt as though they were looking down their noses at her while dressed in their immaculate suits. It wasn't exactly a secret that she was dating one of the most influential and most wanted men in the office. Seems only the people _outside_ of his office approved…

She took the elevator to the twelfth floor, shuddering at the thought of climbing all twelve flights of stairs like Edgeworth did daily. The only elevator he would take was hers, because there was no other alternative, and even then, he usually emerged tense. Soon enough the elevator emitted a soft 'ding' before the doors parted, and she walked right up to his office door and knocked. Per usual, he didn't keep her waiting, and she could see the door begin to open.

"Hey, Edgeworth, you still have my-" Kay blinked, stepping back slightly. "Oh. You're not Edgeworth."

The woman standing there leaned against the doorframe, blocking Kay's view of the office behind her.

"No," the woman answered. She had a snobby sort of accent: British, Kay assumed.

"I'm not. I'm Seasons Hartleb, his assistant on the case. May I help you with something? Mr. Edgeworth is busy at the moment."

Assistant?

Kay opened her mouth, but no words came out. She took a good look at this woman: Seasons wore a black sweater and skirt, her shirt beneath the sweater burgundy. Similar to Franziska and Edgeworth, she wore a cravat around her slender neck, her light blue eyes guarded. She was older than Kay, and much closer to Edgeworth's age. She was undeniably beautiful, even as she crossed her arms and looked down at her with a condescending gaze.

"I- I thought Detective Gumshoe usually-" Kay stuttered.

"Detective Gumshoe is on paternity leave," Seasons answered before Kay could even finish. Kay shook her head. Oh, right. She had known that. How could she have forgotten? It was just so different to see someone other than Edgeworth or Gumshoe in his office.

"Is there anything I can help you with?" asked Seasons again, and Kay nodded weakly.

"I just wanted to speak with Edgeworth…"

"Your name?"

Kay fought the urge to glare.

"Kay," she answered.

"Kay?" Seasons asked, cocking her head slightly to the side.

"Yes," Kay said through grit teeth. "Kay." Had Edgeworth not mentioned her?

"That's it? Just Kay. Not short for Katherine, or Katrina-"

"Just Kay. Kay Faraday."

Seasons regarded her for a moment before glancing over her shoulder.

"Prosecutor Edgeworth."

"Yes, Ms. Hartleb?" came Edgeworth's voice from behind.

"A Miss _Kay _Faraday here to see you."

"!"

The door opened wider, and Kay could soon see Edgeworth standing behind Seasons. Kay took a moment to observe the two of them. They were both so elegant, dressed so neatly, both with sharp facial features that gave them a look that was nothing short of professional.

"A moment, please, Miss Hartleb," he requested, and Seasons sauntered, head held high, back into the office. Edgeworth stepped outside with Kay, shutting the door behind him.

"Kay," said Edgeworth softly, leaning down and placing a kiss on her cheek. "What are you doing here?"

"My wallet," Kay said dejectedly. "My wallet, from last night. You still have it."

"Ah, yes." Edgeworth patted his pockets until he found the right one, handing it over to her. Kay observed him: there were dark circles beneath his eyes, and a wrinkle between his brows. He looked tired.

"Who's she?" Kay asked, nodding towards the office.

"She's Gumshoe's replacement," Edgeworth said, checking his wristwatch for the time. "She's been working with me on the case."

"First I've heard of her," Kay said quietly. Edgeworth arched a brow.

"I've told you that I've had an assistant helping me investigate and question."

"You never told me it was a girl. I just expected another Gumshoe or something."

Edgeworth crossed his arms, an eyebrow arching as he tapped his bicep.

"Are you… are you jealous?" he asked. Kay tried to act nonchalant and scoffed, but she knew she wasn't doing so well when she saw Edgeworth smirk.

"_No_," Kay said hastily. "I'm just wondering why this is the first I'm hearing of some tall, model-esque British woman is spending late nights with you at the office."

Edgeworth stayed silent, his smirk saying more than enough. This was _amusing_ him. First she thought he was gay, and now this?

"Ugh. Goodnight, Edgeworth. I'll see you later."

He chuckled to himself and gave Kay a kiss on the cheek before she turned to leave.

"Goodnight, Kay."

* * *

"Seasons Hartleb?" Gumshoe looked surprised.

"Yeah," Kay said with a small frown. "I mean, I don't think Edgeworth would ever…" she trailed off, shaking her head. He had rejected many beautiful women before, why not now?  
_Well_, Kay found herself thinking, _He's had sex now._ But that wasn't fair thinking. Edgeworth had never done anything to insinuate any appropriate behavior with his new assistant.

"She's very pretty, and she's so collected and poised. She even dresses like him." Kay heard Maggey laugh from where she sat rocking a sleeping Courtney.

"How unfortunate," Maggey said, making Kay snicker. "I didn't think anyone's fashion sense could be so… interesting."

"Laugh all you want, you know he looks good," Kay said.

"I don't believe I've ever seen Edgeworth wear normal colours before. Perhaps he's a secret model looking to make a statement?"

"Oh, be quiet."

"You're sure it's Seasons Hartleb?" Gumshoe said again. Kay and Maggey glanced at him. He had stopped eating his dinner just to contemplate the name. That was enough to show something was up.

"Yeah," Kay said again. "Why?"

"She's one of the best detectives out there, pal," he said, scratching his head. "But she's from the U.K. I don't understand why they would send her to L.A. for a murder case. I mean, I watch the news, I've heard the story, but the cases Edgeworth takes on are always complicated, and he's never needed such help before."

"She's apparently just your replacement," said Kay, shrugging.

"My _replacement_?! Woah- pal, tell me you're joking!" Gumshoe started to breathe eccentrically, nostrils flaring with each breath.

"Calm down Gummy," Kay said, laughing. "Just while you're on paternity leave."

"But why..? I don't get it."

Kay shrugged.

"I don't know, but she leaves me feeling so uneducated."

"Edgeworth doesn't make you feel like that?" asked Maggey. Kay mulled it over in her head.

"No," she said. "He's just… Edgeworth."

_Knock, knock, knock._

"Ah, speak of the devil!" said Gumshoe, getting up from the couch. Maggey laid her daughter to sleep in her crib, waving at Edgeworth when Gumshoe opened the door. Kay was gathering her belongings.

"Hey Mr. Edgeworth, sir!" said Gumshoe with his usual smile. "How's the case going?"

"It's… going," Edgeworth said, glancing over his shoulder to where Kay was throwing on her coat.

"Sorry I couldn't make it for dinner or anything," the Prosecutor apologized.

"Don't worry about it. You're busy. We get it," said Gumshoe, stepping aside for Kay. She gave him a big hug before walking out with Edgeworth, both of them waving as they walked away. Once the door was shut, Edgeworth stopped walking and gave Kay a long kiss. She smiled.

"What was that for?" she asked when they broke apart. Edgeworth shrugged and opened the car door. It would be too much to say that he just liked kissing her, so per usual, he opted to remain silent.

They had been driving in silence for a few minutes, Kay's hand on Edgeworth's leg, when she suddenly noticed something. Her eyebrows furrowed and she picked a piece of paper off of the dashboard.

"_Gatewater Hotel_

_Seasons_

_323-567-8495 # 915"_

"She gave you her number?"

"Yes, of course she did. How else will I contact her if I discover something new about the case, or vice versa?"

Kay pressed her lips in a thin line, glancing out the window and saying nothing.

"She's pretty," Kay said mildly. Edgeworth didn't look at her, focusing on the road.

"Is she?" he asked monotonously.

Kay sighed quietly.

"You know she is."

* * *

**A/N**: R&R for the next chapter!


	10. Temptation

The Life of a Demon Attorney

**A/N**: Sorry for the misleading ending from Chapter 7. I didn't mean to give the impression of the end of the fanfic XD My bad! I thought the "R&R for the next chapter" at the bottom would have cleared any of that up. ^^; Anyways, here is Chapter 10. Enjoy!

**risenfromash**: First of all, thanks for dropping off a review and letting me know what you think. The compliments mean a lot to me. But I do have some clearing up to do, so I hope everything I am about to explain answers your questions/concerns.

Edgeworth had only just moved back in, so I doubt he was expecting anyone he knew to visit him, especially since he hadn't told anyone ahead of time of his return. The only people who knew were Gumshoe and Phoenix (both of whom I don't see visiting Edgeworth's apartment much). As for being protective of Kay, it had been a while since the incident, over a year or so, so I doubt he'd still be jumpy about something as simple as answering the door. When he was pulling Kay back, he thought that she had just dismissed the visitor, not invited them in, so he was trying to pull her back into the bedroom for… certain 'activities.' That's why he was pulling her back, not because he was pulling her away from Franziska.

I don't see her as being jealous of Franziska though. I thought of it while writing the chapter, but just couldn't picture Kay being jealous of Franziska. She had seen Edgeworth interact with her before and knew there was no romantic interest between the two. On the other hand, Seasons she had never heard of, and she all of a sudden realized all the late nights at the office were with his assistant Seasons. That bears room for jealousy. Also be aware that Franziska is more inquiring and passive (like Edgeworth, hiding her emotions) when she first realizes that they are dating, and doesn't express her full support until later, as time is passing, in the description following the first scene. :) Hope this answers everything for you!

**HopelessRomanticist**: What good timing, you'll find out where Iris is soon enough.. :)

The usual disclaimer applies.

* * *

Chapter 10: Temptation

Seasons Hartleb was in a predicament.

She had gotten herself into a lot of trouble just a month ago. She had found evidence, planted at a crime scene in London. It was false evidence, created to lead them astray. She had, as the detective in charge of the investigation with the prosecutor, presented it in court while giving testimony, at the time unaware that it was a forgery. In the end, the defense attorney eventually proved it to be a fabrication. The prosecutor was laid off for negligence, and she herself was in hot water. She was sent to L.A. while the precinct back home decided whether or not to take her off the force. Sure, the prosecution was responsible for what evidence she chose to present in court, but the prosecution presiding over that case had been influential, and had pulled some strings before being fired, managing to place a significant amount of blame on Sesasons as well. Now, because Seasons hadn't been fired, she had the ability to contest to her foreign assignment and try to earn the right to stay in England. But upon reading the case review, several names had caught her interest…

So here she was.

She was standing here with another powerful prosecutor - a prodigy, apparently, in North America. He was the first male to become a prosecutor at the young age of twenty, only bested by Franziska von Karma, a female who had become a prosecutor at the age of thirteen. It was different here in L.A., many of the officers down at the precinct less than reliable. But at least there was eye candy.

"How can you not see it?" she heard Edgeworth say from his desk. Seasons turned to look at him, taking her eye off of the view from the twelfth story of his office. She leaned forward over his shoulder, the tips of her auburn hair brushing against the sides of his face.

"Not see what? Mr. Edgeworth, I see no contradiction. I was top of my force, and I-"

"There's no mud on the victim's clothing."

"… What? What does that prove? We already determined in court yesterday that the victim was killed in another location-"

"The victim was then transported here and thrown to the ground, where there should be blood on her garbs, but there isn't!"

"!"

Seasons' eyes frantically searched the crime photo. How could she have missed something so obvious?!

"You're losing your touch, Ms. Hartleb," he said, that conceited smirk on his face. Seasons did what she had taken to doing every time he tried to get the best of her: she turned her face slightly, already in close proximity with his. She caught his glance, and a smirk tugged at her lips. The only way to make a man like Edgeworth feel uncomfortable was… seduction. Any attempt at getting close and personal with this American prosecutor proved to be difficult, but Seasons enjoyed a good challenge.

"Am I?" she whispered. She could picture that child's jealous face now. What had been her name? Kay? And all along she had thought he was a workaholic with no time for a lover. Quite the contrary: he had time to have personal relations with someone younger than even Seasons. Not that that was taboo or anything nowadays. If she remembered correctly, the detective she was replacing had married a woman with approximately the same age gap as Edgeworth and Kay.

Edgeworth cleared his throat and moved away, like he always did. Seasons watched as he slid his suit jacket back on, that stony look on his face.

"Even losing your touch, Miss Hartleb, I cannot deny your value to this case."

"Thank you, Mr. Edgeworth." Seasons slid on her own jacket and walked to the door with her superior.

"I have to head out, my apologies, but when you're finished looking over those case records, could you drop by my apartment?"

Seasons arched an eyebrow. An invitation from Miles Edgeworth?

"I need them in the morning before the trial. I need to give myself enough time to mentally prepare," he explained. Of course. Somehow Seasons doubted he was the type to just invite women freely into his abode at late hours of the night. Still, she enjoyed having her fun. For some reason the quiet ones always inspired the worst in her. She leaned forward as he pulled a set of keys from his pocket.

"Of course, sir," she said quietly in his ear. Edgeworth didn't even flinch. He opened his office door and waited for Seasons to walk out first.

"Thank you for staying so late," he said simply. "I will see you later, Miss Hartleb. Enjoy the rest of your night."

"I'll try," she said. Edgeworth turned the corner and went down the stairs. Seasons smirked, clutching the files in her hand.

Oh boy. She was in more trouble than originally expected.

* * *

"Edgeworth!"

Edgeworth smirked as he hung his keys by the ring neatly on one of the pegs in his coat rack. As he slid his jacket off as well, he glanced at the woman standing in his living room with a mad grin on her face.

"How did you get in here?"

"I was a thief, Edgeworth. I have my ways," she said haughtily.

"I could report you and get you a short sentence, you know."

"But you won't!"

"The next time I see Little Thief, I'm taking it from you."

"Shut up, you're going to ruin the surprise."

Edgeworth arched an eyebrow as he walked further into his apartment suite. Kay walked up to him. She really looked excited. She moved behind him and slid her fingers around his eyes to make sure he couldn't see.

"Surprise?" Edgeworth asked.

"Yeah! You ready? One, two, _three!_" She moved her fingers away, and Edgeworth's eyes widened as he was almost bowled over by a large collie.

"_Pessu!_" he exclaimed. Kay burst into a fit of giggles as Edgeworth fell to his knees to wrap his arms around the big dog's neck. Edgeworth was always so calm and collected, so seeing him with such a big smile on his face was foreign.

"Kay- where did you- how did you-?!" he tried to ask, at a loss for words.

"Well, you told me you had a dog a while back," Kay said with a grin. "It was when you told me about your mansion that you're renting out; 'cause it's too big for just you, right? Plus you said that the family cares for Pessu a lot of the time. Today I paid the family a visit and thought I'd bring Pessu by! You've been working so hard on the case, so I thought you could use a friend…"

"Dogs aren't allowed in the building, you know," Edgeworth said, but he was patting his companion on the head happily.

"If you won't tell, I won't," Kay said happily. Edgeworth managed to give Kay a brief hug before the collie jumped on Edgeworth, panting.

"Thank you, Kay. I'll bring him back in the morning before the trial. He'll be good company while I review the evidence list tonight." Edgeworth visited Pessu a lot at the mansion, but Kay didn't have to know that. It was good to have him here. He was a dog person; around Pessu, it often became hard to maintain his monotonous and stony demeanor.

"Well, I better go," Kay said, but Edgeworth shook his head.

"Stay the night, I don't mind. I have to stay up late and prepare for the trial, but that just means you'll have the bed to yourself for a little while. I can drop you off at work on the way to the courthouse."

"It's sweet of you to offer, but I don't have work tomorrow - Pro D Day, remember?" said Kay, giving Edgeworth a peck on the cheek. "You sure I won't bother you if I stay?"

"You won't," he assured her. Kay walked up to Edgeworth, snaking her arms around his waist and giving him a long kiss. Edgeworth returned it, deepening it slightly until he heard Pessu whine quietly from behind. Kay laughed.

"Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to bring the dog," she said.

"He's just looking out for me – I have a lot of work to do tonight and is reminding me of that fact."

"You always have a lot of work to do," Kay said, shaking her head. "I expect some serious repayment on your part when everything is over."

Edgeworth smirked, trying not to think about the aggravating fact that he and Kay hadn't 'been' with each other for almost a month now. How had he gone so long without..? Nevermind. All he knew was that now he'd had the good fortune of being with a woman, it was exceedingly frustrating _not_ being with one. However, he had a good amount of self-control.

"Promise."

He watched as Kay walked into his bedroom, Pessu sitting right by Edgeworth's desk on the hardwood floor. That dog had always known him too well, when they had been the only ones living in his mansion all those years ago. After Wright had lost his badge, though, Edgeworth went on a whim and put the mansion up for rent. With Franziska traveling abroad and Phoenix no longer an attorney, he felt suddenly alone. The emptiness of his mansion pronounced that. He wasn't stupid, though. He wasn't expecting to get any offers on the place, considering that when people rented, they usually looked for apartments or something equally cheap. One family had miraculously contacted him, however, and had been renting his mansion ever since.

At some point in the evening Edgeworth managed to change into his pajamas, pouring over whatever information he had not passed to Seasons, one hand absent mindedly patting the sleeping Pessu on the head. He used his trusty logic to piece things together over and over again, memorizing his strategies for the following morning without fail. His train of thought was broken only once, when there was a knock on his door. Ah – that was probably Seasons. He glanced at the clock – _three in the morning?_

"You're up late," he said as he opened the door. He accepted the papers that Seasons held out to him. He saw her gaze fall downwards, and Edgeworth swallowed, feeling suddenly self-conscious. He was not in his usual suit, but in a fitted t-shirt and sweat pants, worn perhaps a tad low on his hips. He never bothered to use the drawstring, but right then, he cleared his throat and quickly pulled the drawstring tight so the sweat pants remained securely around his hips.

"Apologies," he said quietly. "But I'd been wearing a suit all day I thought it best to study the rest of the night in comfort."

"Oh, it's… not a problem, Mr. Edgeworth, sir," she said in that husky British accent. Edgeworth truly wondered what this woman was up to; she knew of Kay now, and they were strictly work partners. He didn't even have any of those kinds of feelings for the woman, but still she persisted. It was just… it was hard to ignore her advances when they spent so much time together. He couldn't pretend he was so oblivious he didn't notice any of them.

"It's odd to see you out of a suit," she said. She herself was still in her pencil skirt and blouse from earlier that day.

"Yes," he said uncomfortably. "I suppose I should have waited until your arrival before changing, but ah…" he trailed off, grasping his arm as he looked away. Seasons smirked, leaning against his door frame.

"You look good," she said. "So don't worry about it. I didn't think the word 'sweatpants' were in your vocabulary, though." Her gaze flickered down to below his drawstrings, and Edgeworth sent her his usual passive look. He was not against comfortable clothing when lounging in his own home.

"Erm… thank you for bringing the files." He paused, feeling oddly uncomfortable beneath Season's blunt gaze.

"Well," he said. "Good night." She smirked and turned around.

"Good night, Mr. Edgeworth. I'll be cheering for you from the gallery tomorrow."

Edgeworth ignored how difficult it was to picture this cool woman actually cheering, simply nodding and shutting the door behind her. When he turned around, a sleepy-looking Kay was sitting on the armchair of his couch, Pessu still asleep by his desk.

"I don't like her," Kay said, her voice groggy.

"I think she likes that you don't like her. It eggs her on." Kay walked up to him, wrapping her arms around him almost protectively and pressing her face lightly against his chest. Edgeworth held her, setting the new files aside on his desk with a sigh.

"Listen," he said softly. "I was going to save this for later, but there's an annual dinner coming up soon. Attorneys, prosecutors, judges, officers – they'll all be there. It's a really big, formal event. I'm allowed to bring one guest, and I know you probably don't want to come, but-"

"Of course I'll come," said Kay. Like she was going to let Seasons go with Edgeworth to a big fancy dinner. Sure, she was a tiny bit jealous, but Edgeworth was a good guy, deep down. He would never do anything like go behind her back with Seasons.

"But only if you come to bed." Edgeworth glanced at the clock. He could rise early to review the last of his files. He sighed and wrapped his arm around Kay, walking with her back to his bedroom.

"Fine. You win," he said. Kay laughed.

"I always win."

* * *

"You're kidding."

"Not at all."

Franziska von Karma leaned back in her seat, her eyes closed.

"You won that trial?"

"Of course."

"I thought the man was innocent..."

"He was a liar."

Franziska, Edgeworth, and Kay were all in a little coffee shop by the Courthouse. It was just after ten or so in the morning, and Edgeworth had finished his trial with a "Guilty" verdict handed down, even after only a couple of hours of sleep. The accused, he knew, had actually committed murder, and paid the ultimate price for it. He held his mug of tea between his hands, trying to warm his palms as he looked over to Franziska. Franziska was drinking tea as well; seems the only one who had gone to the coffee shop to drink actual coffee was Kay.

"Well, you performed well. I've never really seen you in court before," Kay said. The last time had been when she was ten years old, and she hadn't understood a whole lot of what was going on. His case had been put on hold, after all, due to her father's murder. She had only overheard enough to defend Gumshoe when Edgeworth bullied him. Franziska scoffed, clearly displeased about her little brother's victory.

"I thought you von Karmas were all about perfection?" Kay asked, arching a brow. "Shouldn't you be happy Edgeworth won?"

"Oh," said Edgeworth, setting his mug down upon the table again. "This wasn't just any regular case."

"It wasn't?"

"No. If it had been, I would have never taken it because the defense attorney heading it was much too arrogant. I don't enjoy dealing with people like that in court."

Kay blinked. What did Edgeworth think _he_ was like in court?

"I enjoy a challenge, and Franziska insisted that the only reason I wouldn't take the case was because I was scared. She challenged me, I accepted, and... I won."

_Who's arrogant now? _Kay thought with a smirk.

"Really, Little Brother, it isn't becoming to gloat."

"I'm not gloating," Edgeworth said with a smirk. Just looking at her, you could sense her foul mood. The reason Franziska had challenged Edgeworth was because she had lost against the head attorney in a previous case - the only person she had lost against since Phoenix Wright. And to know Edgeworth had beaten him...

"Let's go for some ice cream."

"What?" Franziska's eyes widened as she looked up at Edgeworth. Kay sat up too.

"You... you never eat ice cream," Franziska said.

"Yes, well... Kay knows a good place," Edgeworth said. "C'mon, Franziska. I'll buy you something. My treat. We don't see each other outside of the Court House much, so..."

"I don't need your pity."

"It's not pity," said Edgeworth. "It's ice cream."

* * *

"Come on, Nick! You heard Edgeworth – it's a big event, so we have to go shopping! You only have two suits, and we've seen them from court and from Gumshoe's wedding. We have to mix it up a little!"

Phoenix laughed as an eccentric Maya pulled him down the street. Ever since she had become the Master of the Kurain Channeling Technique and the head of the Fey Clan, he didn't get to see her much. She hadn't changed a whole lot, still wearing odd robes and always smiling, but even he couldn't help but notice that the once out-there kid had gained a little wisdom in her new adulthood. She was still bold, eccentric, and came to overly creative conclusions, but when the time required, Maya could be really… mature, and even insightful.

She tucked her hair behind her ear as she glanced from window to window, shop to shop. She no longer wore the top knot in her hair, but wore it down, sometimes hidden beneath a hood of some kind.

"Since when does the Master have time for dinner parties and shopping?" he asked her, only teasing.

"Since one of the High Prosecutors of L.A. pulled strings and got us tickets," she countered. Edgeworth had apparently phoned both him and Maya, telling them that he had managed to get them invited to some sort of annual New Year dinner. Even though he was no longer a defense attorney, Phoenix was apparently welcome (no doubt thanks to Edgeworth's persuasion skills) and allowed to bring one guest. He originally thought of bringing Maya, but of course Edgeworth – somehow – managed to reserve a ticket for her, too, also allowed one guest. Phoenix rolled his eyes as Maya shoved open one of the doors, apparently finding a store she finally found suitable based on their displays.

"Okay. First help me pick out a dress, then I'll help you pick out a tux. We'll try them on and meet by the mirrors, okay?!"

"Uh, sure…" Why did he always allow her to drag him around again? He scratched his toque as he awkwardly stood around while Maya floated around the racks, squealing when she found something particularly cute. He found himself growing bored, his gaze drifting outside the window…

"Um… hello. May I help you find something? The men's suits are on the other side of the store."

Phoenix jumped and turned to face the clerk who had spoken, immediately rubbing the back of his neck, abashed.

"Oh – no – my friend, she wants me to help her pick out a dress… and then she's going to help pick out a tux…" He babbled like an idiot, trailing off when he noticed something. His gaze fell upon her uniquely braided black hair, her dark eyes, and fair skin. She was as slender as always, a blush to her cheeks, pleasant smile to her face. She soon noticed he was staring however, and after a few seconds, recognition lit up her features.

"Mr… Mr. Wright."

"I- I…"

"Sister Iris?!"

Phoenix heard Maya's voice from behind him, and Iris turned to face her. She offered her a warm, welcoming smile. She bowed her head, her white dress rustling slightly at the movement.

"Hello, Ms. Fey, although it is just Iris now. I hope you are doing well."

"What- what are you doing here?! We thought- you know- you were still in…"

"Prison?" Iris asked, that pretty smile on her face. "My sentence ended last month. I paid the temple a visit but Sister Bikini told me it would be best if I spent some time in the real world. I prayed with her for a couple of days and then she got me a job here. Her sister-in-law owns the business."

Phoenix felt something drop to the pit of his stomach. She… she looked the exact same as she had all those years ago.

"How the years have changed you, Mr. Wright; I hadn't seen you in the Detention Center in a long time," Iris said quietly. Phoenix opened his mouth to say something, but Iris looked away. She had heard what happened to him through one of the guards. It was no coincidence that he had stopped visiting her after he lost his badge.

"If you need any help," she said, "I will be organizing some things at the cashier. Excuse me." Phoenix watched her walk away, dumbstruck. He only stopped looking at her when Maya tugged on his sleeve. The expression on her face was somewhat wary.

"Nick..?"

"Y- yeah?"

"Are you okay?"

"Fine, Maya," he said quietly. "I'm fine."

"Okay... well... should we leave, or..?"

"No, no." Phoenix slid his hands into his pockets and glanced at Maya. "This is the only real free time to buy our clothes for the dinner, you're right. So let's pick something out now."

The rest of shopping was somewhat awkward, the two of them often falling into bouts of silence. Maya couldn't help but notice Phoenix's gaze frequently travel to Iris, busy doing paper work by the cashier. Once in a while Maya would catch the two smiling at each other, then looking away. Seemed Phoenix was too shocked to go up and really talk to her. When she had found her dress and was helping Pheonix pick out his tux, Iris moved into the back storage room, leaving Maya and Phoenix alone.

"Okay," she said. "All done. What do you think?"

Phoenix glanced in the mirror, the suit looking silly with the bright toque that sat upon his head. His hair was much too messy beneath though, for him to want to take it of with Iris in the store.

"It's good," he admitted. "You have good taste for someone who wears spirit medium robes all the time."

"Nah," Maya said, brushing some lint off of the shoulder pads. "I just know you a lot better than you think. Come on."

Phoenix walked over to the cash register, and Maya rang the bell once. Iris immediately came forward with a smile that took Phoenix's breath away. Looking at her was like... like remembering a nightmare, while at the same time looking at a dream.

"Finished?"

"Yes. You stay here all by yourself even though you only started about a little while ago?"

"There's not much to it," Iris admitted. "But my supervisor just went out for lunch. She'll be back."

"Ah." Phoenix handed Iris his card, and she ran it through the machine. Maya stood back, just watching the two of them interact. They were so distant, this strange tension between them. It was like the two of them wanted to say or do something else, but something was stopping them. She expected Phoenix to say something stupid, or at least say that he would be back to visit, but he didn't. He slipped his wallet back into his pocket and took the receipt, glancing at Iris one last time as he offered her a goodbye and left the store.

"Why didn't you say anything to her?" Maya asked once they were back on the street. Phoenix shrugged, looking over his receipt.

"I mean- clearly something was still there- you were both so awkward, though- _Oh!_" Phoenix bumped into Maya from behind as she stopped walking right in front of some kind of fifties diner. "Hey, look! It's Kay - and Edgeworth, and von Karma! They're... eating ice cream?"

Maya would have thought that was a hard picture to paint, if not for the scenario in front of her. Maya glanced at Phoenix, surprised by his lack of reaction, but he was still looking over his receipt.

"Come on, Nick. Let's have ice cream!"

Phoenix watched as Maya ran into the diner, immediately going up to Kay and giving her a hug. He could feel Edgeworth watching him through the window as Phoenix tucked the receipt into his pocket. He pushed open the door and walked inside, secretly pondering what he should do with the receipt Iris had given him. On the back of the thin paper, in her neat writing...

_"323-594-6756"_

* * *

**A/N**: So, what did you think? Review for the next chapter! =)


	11. Turnabout Banquet

The Life of a Demon Attorney

**A/N**: Here is Chapter 11. Finally, we are getting into some plot. Enjoy! PS, I came across this picture on deviantArt and found it absolutely brilliant… xD

http: // mipeltaja. deviantart .com / art / The-Investigation-is-Going-159653455

The usual disclaimer applies.

* * *

Chapter 11: Turnabout Banquet

It was an odd sight in the diner that day. Two prosecutors, dressed sharply, were sitting in an off-white booth, bowls of deep-fried ice cream in front of them. Regular, less authoritative-looking individuals surrounded them, one in strange robes, another in sweats, and the last in normal jeans and a t-shirt. All of them had a bowl or cone of ice cream. Despite the obvious differences between the individuals, laughter could be heard every few minutes. A smug Franziska was waving her spoon at Phoenix.

"Why don't you just retake the bar exam?" she asked.

"I could," he said with a shrug. "But I don't know. I wouldn't have as much time for Trucy."

"She's a big girl," Franziska said.

"Not quite. I'll wait a little longer – I can't leave a thirteen year old home alone too often. I'll see how things go when she turns fifteen or sixteen." Phoenix smiled; he had been staying silent for the most part unless addressed. Unfortunately for him, Franziska seemed to be quite keen in trying to get him to talk. A part of him wondered if she was happy or mad that he was no longer able to battle in court, seeing as she had always been so determined to defeat him.

"You still hungry?" Edgeworth asked Kay, glancing at her empty bowl. She nodded.

"Yeah."

"I'll get you another one, then."

"Hey, Nick! I want another bowl, too!" Maya said. Phoenix rolled his eyes playfully.

"I can get you one Maya," Edgeworth said, making Maya look up at him curiously.

"Really?"

"Sure. Would you like one too, Franziska?"

"I don't eat a lot of sweets," was all she said, looking away. Edgeworth could read her, though. He could tell that she wanted another one – after all, there was no denying that the ice cream was something else at this place. He glanced at Phoenix and nodded towards the till.

"Wright, if you could help..?"

"Huh? Oh – uh – sure."

Phoenix stood from the booth and walked with Edgeworth to the till where the orders were placed. They waited in line, and Edgeworth casually glanced at the menu as if contemplating what to buy.

"What's on your mind, Wright?" he asked.

Phoenix glanced at Edgeworth.

"It's nothing."

"Wright, I know you, and this isn't nothing. What were you looking at outside the restaurant?"

"A girl gave me her number," he said quietly, glancing back towards the booth. Maya and Kay were happily chatting, Franziska looking out the window except for when she slid in a sly remark or two.

"Oh? Shouldn't that be a good thing? Not that it really matters, but you haven't been with anyone since Dahl- since Iris."

Phoenix's heart began pounding just hearing her name.

"Well… that's the thing," he said. Edgeworth approached the till and placed the orders, handing over the money before glancing back to Phoenix.

"What is, Wright?"

"Iris. We ran into her today. Apparently she's out of the Detention Center now."

Edgeworth said nothing for a while, just standing to the side and waiting for their orders to be made. Phoenix drifted off into his own little world again, staring out the window.

"And?" Edgeworth finally prompted.

"And what?"

"What happened?"

"Nothing, other than getting her number. Look, I don't want to talk about it," Phoenix said uncomfortably. "I'm not so sure what to think, myself…" His gaze traveled back to Maya, that happy-go-lucky smile etched onto her face.

"Fine," Edgeworth said simply, walking up to the counter and accepting a cone, handing it to Wright. "Hold this. It's Maya's." He picked up Kay and Franziska's bowls of ice cream, and turned to head back to the booth.

"Hey, Edgeworth," Phoenix said quietly. "Thanks." He would tell him eventually, but he appreciated the implied shoulder he had to lean on. Edgeworth nodded imperceptibly, just continuing to walk to the booth.

"I said I don't eat-" Franziska protested upon their return, and Edgeworth reclaimed his seat between her and Kay.

"Eat it," he said. Franziska cracked her whip dangerously. Edgeworth didn't even look at her, just wrapping his arm leisurely around Kay's shoulders as she ate her ice cream. Franziska watched as Maya and Kay dug in, glancing to her own bowl before finally lifting her spoon and bringing the sweet dessert to her lips

Looking around at the people with him, Edgeworth was content. He had always claimed to enjoy his privacy and alone time, but really, he enjoyed days out like this more. Not that he would ever verbally admit that. He felt Kay's fingers intertwine with his beneath the table, and he gave her hand a subtle squeeze. If he could have stopped time at that very moment, he would have.

But he couldn't.

He hated how life could change so quickly.

* * *

Miles Edgeworth shut off his alarm the instant he heard the first beep go off. He rubbed his eyes, standing from his desk and walking to his closet. He dressed himself in his suit, sluggishly preparing himself for the day ahead. He went through his mental checklist to make sure he had absolutely everything in his suitcase. Speeches, statements, and various pieces of evidence were continuously flashing through his mind. He tried to ignore the uneasy feeling that had settled at the bottom of his gut.

"It is only natural her fingerprints would be found," he muttered to himself, rehearsing. "She found the body and initially thought the victim had fainted. Her jacket had been on, so the blood hadn't been noticeable until it was unzipped…" He straightened his cravat as he locked the door to his apartment suite, heading down the flights of stairs to the underground parking lot. He unlocked his car door and slid in, buckling his seatbelt.

"Her testimony is filled with holes; she never saw the instant of the murder…"

Edgeworth groaned and leaned forward, his forehead pressed against his steering wheel. He didn't sound like a prosecutor; he sounded like a conjectural attorney.

"No, her fingerprints were found on her body because she _is _the culprit," he forced himself to say. "She used the 'discoverer of the body' as an excuse…" Edgeworth pulled into the parking lot of the Courthouse. He parked swiftly and efficiently, pulling his briefcase out of the back seat before locking his car doors and proceeding to Courtroom 3. His heart began to pound, something that rarely happened before he went into court.

"Court will convene in ten minutes!" Edgeworth heard the bailiff say as he entered the hallway. He closed his eyes, deep in thought, leaning slightly against the wall.

"You sure you want to keep doing this?" Edgeworth jumped slightly, looking up into the face of his ex-rival and current friend. Phoenix Wright was standing there, a cautious look on his face. The man looked tired, his eyes red as though he had been either crying or awake all night.

"Yes," Edgeworth answered calmly, contrary to the wave of nausea that told him otherwise.

"I know you pursue the truth and all that, Edgeworth, but it's not me in that courtroom. It's not a 'team' where we can prove someone's innocence anymore. If you walk in there, you're _prosecuting_ her. You chose to take her case – no – you _insisted_. If you haven't figured it out yet, that's why she refused to see you at the Detention Center."

"That is none of my concern. She was perfectly fine with me taking the case in the beginning-"

"Before you made her look like a wannabe murderer to the entire court yesterday! She thought you were going to help, not make things worse. She should have been let go right away, seeing as she had never met the victim before, giving her a very weak motive, but between you and that inexperienced attorney you're both ruining her reputation! We're just lucky there was a piece of evidence that needed to be examined before a verdict could be ruled."

Phoenix sighed as he saw Edgeworth's icy glare.

"Look, Edgeworth, I know you want to declare her innocence but the fact of the matter is that you have to prosecute first. There's protocol to follow, and Judge Curpen won't allow you to stray like our trusty old judge. You have to present witnesses and evidence that imply that she is guilty. And you _always_ have decisive evidence, Edgeworth. I'm not going to be the one standing there unraveling the truth for you; the judge won't care for you objecting against your position in this courtroom. You have the best of intentions, but you're on the wrong side now."

Edgeworth looked away.

"It's a little late for speeches, Wright. It was either I take the case into my own hands or I leave it to someone else who might get her convicted within five minutes of the trial starting." In court, the truth wasn't always brought to light, and he knew a fair share of prosecutors who would gladly take the case, what with the mountain of evidence against the defendant. Phoenix said nothing, his face grim. Edgeworth turned away.

"I have to go." Edgeworth walked into the courtroom without another word, and assumed his place at the prosecutor's bench. The defense attorney was present, and he forced himself not to look at the defendant's chair.

"All rise."

Everyone stood as the judge entered and sat. Edgeworth forced himself not to grimace as the words came out of the judge's mouth:

"Court is now in session for the trial of Kay Faraday, charged with attempted murder."

* * *

It had all started a week ago, at that blasted New Year dinner.

"Kay!"

"Maya!"

There was a sudden clash of blue and purple as the two girls ran to each other in the middle of the banquet hall. They hugged each other tightly before pulling back and beginning to converse in fast speech, almost sounding like another language. Kay was wearing a blue dress with a slit that ran to just above the knee, while Maya was wearing a simple cocktail dress. Their behavior contrasted their elegant appearance, but there was no denying that the scene was amusing to watch.

"Hey!" Phoenix Wright walked up to them a few moments later, dressed in a tux, hair spiked once again. He was holding two champagne glasses, one of which he handed to Maya. Maya accepted it gratefully.

"Wow, you look great, Kay!"

"Thanks," Kay replied with a smile. "You enjoying yourself?"

"Yeah. I was just with the Gumshoes." The three of them glanced at one of the tables in the banquet hall, where Maggey, Gumshoe, and their new daughter Courtney were sitting. They were both making silly faces at the girl, trying to coax her into drinking some milk. Ah, new parents – how stupid they could look without realizing it.

"So did you guys bring any guests?" Kay asked.

"No, but Nick brought someone," Maya said, nudging Phoenix playfully. He rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortably.

"I kind of regret it, though," Phoenix admitted. "I'm not so sure she's enjoying this type of scene." Iris had only recently been released from prison. Did she really want to be surrounded by the very people who had imprisoned her all these years? When he had called to ask her to accompany him, she had said it would be fine, but she was always such a nice girl. A part of him was afraid she had only gone because she didn't know how to say no. Iris could be a bit of a pushover.

"Well, where is the girl?" asked Kay. Phoenix sighed.

"Iris? Oh, she stepped out for some air a little while ago. That's why I'm a little worried. Maybe she can't handle being here tonight."

"Kay," said Maya after a while. "I was wondering: who's that?" She nodded towards where Edgeworth was sitting with a group of people at a table. They were all sitting with tall postures, wine glasses in hand. Once in a while they would break out into sophisticated laughter, but almost all of them had condescending smirks on their faces.

"Who?" Kay asked, though she knew perfectly well to whom Maya was referring.

"The woman beside Edgeworth. She's been with him all night."

"That's Seasons," Kay said quietly. "She's his assistant on the case while Gumshoe's on paternity leave."

Seasons was dressed in an elegant, form fitting black dress. Spaghetti straps curved around her defined shoulder blades, black gloves wrapped around her slender arms, and her auburn hair fell in waves around her shoulders. Kay watched as she and Edgeworth delicately clinked wine glasses together. Watching them was like watching a movie: they were both so elegant, so refined, and so… perfect. A powerhouse couple indeed. Kay ignored the jealousy that ran through her as she watched Seasons lean in to whisper something to Edgeworth. She was keeping an eye on them - one slip up from Seasons and Kay would be over there faster than the crack of Franziska's whip.

"Well, why aren't you with them?" Phoenix asked.

"I was," Kay said. "But I don't know a whole lot about law, so a lot of what they were saying kind of just flew right over my head. I just excused myself and have been hovering around the refreshment and snack table ever since."

"Amen to that!" Maya reached over and popped one of the cocktail shrimps into her mouth.

Tonight was a big deal. It was an annual event in which prosecutors, attorneys, judges, and the like all gathered in a banquet hall for dinner. It was to celebrate the upcoming New Year, and anybody who was anybody was there. Edgeworth had been at the top of the invitee list of course, and he had invited Kay with him. He had even managed to get Phoenix and Maya tickets. For the past twenty minutes, however, he had been with Seasons and other prosecutors, including Franziska, chatting about the amusing things they had come across in court. Kay had been feeling left out – until she spotted Maya, of course.

"I'm going to head to the bathroom, I just have to freshen up. I want to be introduced to this Iris person when I'm back, okay?"

"Okay," Maya said, nodding. "We'll be here!"

"Yeah," Phoenix said, snickering. "Wherever there's food, there is also Maya."

Kay walked away, laughing as she heard the satisfying _smack_ of Maya hitting Phoenix on the back of his head. She walked through the separate hallway that led to the bathrooms, about to open the door when someone suddenly grabbed a hold of her wrist and pulled her back. She gasped in shock, only relaxing when she realized who it was.

"Edgeworth, you almost gave me a heart attack!"

Edgeworth smirked, leaning forward and giving her a kiss.

"Sorry. I just wanted to make sure everything was all right… you've been rather quiet all night."

"Everything's fine," Kay assured him. "Really. I'm just going to the restroom to freshen up."

"I'll wait here, then," he said. "We can dance afterwards."

"Grind?" asked Kay jokingly.

"Waltz," he corrected. Kay playfully rolled her eyes and went into the bathroom. She pulled her powder out of her hand purse, applying a fresh layer to matte her slightly shiny complexion. She took her time, deciding to make Edgeworth sweat a little. But as she looked at her reflection, something caught her eye. She turned around, looking through the cracks of one of the stalls. The toilet was unoccupied, but there was something on the floor... Kay took one step, her heel clicking against the tile. Then she took another. There was clearly something there, and whatever it was wasn't moving. She placed a shaky hand on the door of the handicap stall and pushed it open.

It wasn't a something - it was a some_one. _There was a person on the floor! Kay gasped and ran up to them, kneeling beside them.

"Oh my God." She felt goose bumps run up the length of her arms. Upon first glance, she thought the person had fainted, so she knelt beside the woman. Kay placed her fingers against the woman's neck, searching for a pulse. She sighed with relief when she felt a slow, but certain rhythm beneath her fingertips. Kay looked around for any clues as to what had happened; she spotted what looked like a hair accessory nearby, a pointed chopstick meant for holding a bun in place. But it was covered in something, she noticed as she picked it up…

"Excuse me," said Kay to the woman on the floor, voice shaking slightly. This was silly. It wasn't like she was dead; she had simply fainted! She was very pretty, Kay noticed, her black hair braided and resting at the nape of her neck.

"Can you hear me?" Kay squinted, spotting something protruding from beneath the woman's jacket. Kay didn't have a good feeling about this. She unzipped the jacket, and on this woman's dress was blood, right above the abdomen, seeping through the fabric of the dress. Kay screamed, immediately standing up. The woman's head lolled to the tiled floor, and Kay spotted, with the open jacket, the amount of blood it had been concealing. Kay had somehow managed to get blood all over the front of her own dress. She threw the hair stick to the ground and screamed again upon realizing that the substance covering it was blood. She backed into the stall's door, and it opened with a loud bang just as the washroom door swung open.

Kay turned to look over her shoulder, expecting to see Edgeworth since he had been the one waiting for her outside the washroom. But it wasn't – it was Seasons.

The woman took one good look at her before running back out the door.

Kay ran after her, tears finally working their way down her cheeks as the shock enveloped her. Edgeworth opened the door next, just before Kay got to it, and she let out a loud sob at the look of pure horror on his face. He observed the blood all over Kay's dress, then glancing at the spaces beneath the stall, spotting the body.

"Kay! What happened?!" Before she could even bother replying, the door opened again, and Phoenix, followed by a few officers still in their suits, ran in. As Kay was embraced tightly by Edgeworth, all she could hear was Phoenix's incredulous voice as he looked into the stall.

"Iris?"

* * *

**A/N**: Okay, so what's the verdict? Boring as hell?


	12. Guilty Until Proven Innocent

The Life of a Demon Attorney

**A/N**: Okay guys, I don't want to give the details of the case away all at once, so I'll give little hints and tidbits throughout this chapter. The entire thing will be revealed at a later time, and hopefully all the pieces will fall together. :) Enjoy Chapter 12!

The usual disclaimer applies.

* * *

Chapter 12: Guilty Until Proven Innocent

"Sorry, sir, she won't accept the call."

"All right, thank you." Edgeworth sighed as he hung up his cell phone, once again receiving the message of rejection from one of the guards. Kay was avoiding his calls and his visits to the Detention Center. He couldn't really blame her, though. When he told her that he was going to prosecute her, she had been a little uncomfortable. The only reason she had agreed to it was because he had assured her that she would reach a Not Guilty verdict if he were overseeing the investigations and whatnot. Unfortunately, her assigned attorney was less than admirable, and Edgeworth was looking like his usual heartless self in court. It killed him, and he wanted to tell Kay that it was all just part of his job, but that he still believed in her. Everything would be all right in the end. It was kind of difficult to do that though when she was cutting off contact with him completely. He had even tried to call her in for an interrogation session in order to speak with her, but even then she refused to see him.

Edgeworth spun in his chair so that he was facing his desk, and he looked over the notes of the case again.

"Stabbed in the stomach with intent to puncture the lung. The weapon wasn't sharp enough, so it didn't cause fatal damage…" He murmured quietly. "The weapon was that of a hair accessory, a sharp stick meant to hold hair in place."

Stabbed by her own accessory. Edgeworth sighed as he examined the photo of Iris, Maya, and Phoenix from the dinner for the millionth time. She indeed was wearing a hair stick. He opened his drawer, pulling out a plastic bag that contained the accessory. Caked with dry blood and powdered to reveal Kay's fingerprints, Edgeworth held it up to the photo. The exact same shade of purple as Iris wore in her own hair.

"Still hard at work, huh?"

Edgeworth looked up, greeted by Seasons standing in his doorway.

"You already have this case in the bag," she said. "Why are you so worried?"

Edgeworth continued to compare the hair accessory to the photo, hoping there was something he had missed. Seasons walked up to him, pouting her red lips.

"Hey, come now, Gumshoe's scheduled to be back soon – is that any way to treat the woman who's been helping you all this time in his absence?"

"Please, Ms. Hartleb, the last day of the trial is tomorrow and I really must focus." He really didn't want to speak to this woman, not now, not ever again.

"Oh, Prosecutor Edgeworth," said Seasons, sliding her hands onto his shoulders and working out the kinks in his back. He shrugged her off. He continued to examine the photo, pausing when he felt her hands slip off of his shoulders.

"Can I ask you something?" Seasons asked, and Edgeworth glanced at her, intrigued by the sudden sincerity in her tone.

"I suppose."

"What do you see in her?"

"Sorry?"

"In Faraday. Accused of attempted murder, you prosecute her case, she refuses to see you, and yet still manage to remain the world's most faithful man."

Edgeworth glanced at Seasons, surprised to see her standing a few steps away, her arms crossed in an almost self-conscious manner. Clearly this woman wasn't used to being rejected very often.

"I don't- I don't know," he said. "Are you really expecting a decisive answer?"

Seasons laughed.

"I guess not. I just.. I guess I never saw it."

"Saw what?" Edgeworth asked, setting the evidence back down on his desk. Seasons shrugged, looking uncharacteristically uncomfortable.

"You and Kay. You're both so… different. You're so poised, so professional – so intelligent. You can be cruel at times, but unbelievably compassionate at others… and Kay…"

Edgeworth felt a sudden surge of protectiveness.

"What about her?" he asked. Seasons looked uncomfortable.

"Nothing. She's just… well… none of those things. I mean, sure she can be kind, but she can be so immature and, oh, I don't know… she just seems like a child still."

"Don't talk about her that way," Edgeworth said quietly. "You don't know her like I do."

"I'm just saying-" Seasons protested, and Edgeworth held up a hand.

"Please, Ms. Hartleb. I don't need this right now." Seasons watched as Edgeworth turned his back on her, returning to his work. He hid behind his work, but that was something they shared in common. She glared at him from behind, the 'sincere' expression he had once seen dissipating.

"Okay," she said, managing to keep her tone alight with false remorse. "Sorry, Mr. Edgeworth. I'll see myself out."

"Enjoy the rest of your evening."

Seasons fought the urge to scoff and left his office, slamming the door behind her.

* * *

_Calm yourself, Miles…_

"I do believe I've seen enough decisive evidence and heard enough solid testimony to hand down my verdict. All the mounting evidence does point to the defendant, and the defense can't seem to counter the prosecutor's arguments."

_The truth will reveal itself… that's what he taught you all those years ago._

"Without any further hesitation…"

Edgeworth looked over to the defense attorney. He was sweating bullets, looking defeated at his bench. He had managed to avoid it the past couple of days in court, looking at Kay in the defendant's chair, but he couldn't not look at her now. He had failed her, her attorney had failed her, and she was about to be imprisoned for a crime she did not commit. A tear slid down Kay's cheek, and Edgeworth felt his heart ache – something that hadn't happened since he watched his father's coffin being lowered into the ground all those years ago.

_Come on,_ he silently urged the attorney. _Object!_

"I declare the defendant-"

_Object, damnit!_

"G-"

"_Objection_, Your Honour!"

The judge glanced at Edgeworth at his outburst, arching his eyebrow. Edgeworth was glaring at the defense attorney across from him. How could he have given up so easily? This was pathetic, even for a rookie.

"Prosecutor Edgeworth, is there a reason you're objecting against your ruling? I thought we were clear from the beginning that there was to be no partiality towards the defendant."

"_Objection!_" exclaimed the defense attorney. Edgeworth felt a wave of relief wash over him. Thank God.

"The defense requests but a ten minute recess – the last recess of the day, if you so wish. Ten minutes is all I ask – please."

"Objection overruled," said the judge. "I can make the ruling now, and you can-"

"The prosecution agrees to the defense's request for a recess," Edgeworth cut in, closing his eyes and crossing his arms. The judge remained silent for a long while, before finally speaking.

"I sincerely hope you both are not wasting my time. Fine. Recess granted, but be warned it will last only ten minutes – and the last one of the day. When we return we will have a final ruling."

"Yes, Your Honour," Edgeworth said at the same time as the attorney. Once the gavel sounded, Edgeworth walked right across to the defense's bench, that fierce look in his brown eyes. Lucas Desario, Kay's attorney, was making no move to leave during the recess.

"Mr. Desario," Edgeworth said quietly, tone low. "I'd like to speak with you, if I may." The two of them stepped out of the area into the adjoining hallway. Edgeworth glanced around to make sure no one was within earshot.

"What is it, Edgeworth?" asked the attorney, sighing. Egads, he even _sounded_ defeated.

"This is something I need to keep between the two of us," Edgeworth said, and Lucas arched an eyebrow.

"Oh? All right…"

"Look, I didn't think I would have to give you this; I thought you could use sensible logic to refute my claims, but you have sat idly by while Kay is being thrown to the dogs so here," Edgeworth handed Lucas a piece of paper.

"This is every piece of evidence I have presented and a rebuttal for each one. I make one for each of my cases so that I can prepare myself for any rebuttals the defense may throw at me. I don't know why you're putting on such a pathetic show but I will not stand for it. When we get back in there, I want you to bring up each and every flaw in the evidence I have presented."

"What?"

"Ms. Faraday is innocent. I'm sure you know that."

"Why are you doing this? Just because she's your girlfriend?"

"If she were the murderer, regardless of our relationship status, I assure you I would not be afraid to expose the truth. But we both know the real truth: Kay Faraday is innocent and _this person_," Edgeworth pointed to a profile on the list, "tried to frame her." Lucas' eyes fell upon the picture of the person on the profile, and his eyebrows furrowed.

"The witness from yesterday?"

"Yes. You don't have enough evidence to call her the culprit yet, but you can cast suspicion and call for a separate trial for her. Her motive, unlike Kay's, is strong. That, along with the rebuttals and this forged piece of evidence planted by the real culprit, will be enough to get her a Not Guilty verdict even without finding the real culprit."

"She's mad at you, you know," Lucas said, interrupting him. Edgeworth nodded.

"I know."

"She thinks that you think she did it. She doesn't think you're helping her at all-"

"That is not my fault. She is young – let her think what she wishes to think."

"No, Mr. Edgeworth, I mean I could tell her about this and she-"

"No," Edgeworth said, shaking his head. "This is between you and me only, if you remember. We will reach the true end to this trial and make it look as though you made a miraculous recovery. Claim that your doubts are the reason for the recess, and then refute everything that has been presented so far. Kay's opinion of me is just that - her own opinion. If she truly thinks that I took on this case to make her look guilty of attempted murder, then she is not the Kay that I thought I knew. I will speak with her after you win your verdict." Perhaps Gumshoe was right – he _did_ have a flair for the dramatic. But he still held belief in what he said. It was insulting; he and Kay had known each other for how long now, and she was ready to believe that he would truly try and find her guilty?

"Mr. Edgeworth, sir," said Lucas, clearly struggling to find the right words. "Thank you."

* * *

Kay Faraday was found innocent that day.

Lucas Desario smoothly brought up each and every hole in Edgeworth's argument after the recess, and soon enough it looked like a real argument between the two sides. The list Edgeworth had given him gave Lucas new insight, and the judge sat back and watched, astounded, as they fought for their verdict. Lucas Desario was like a completely different person. Over an hour after the reconvening of the trial, someone else was suddenly put under the spotlight, and Edgeworth found himself having to defend her instead of Kay in order to make everything believable. Even though he knew who was responsible. He knew it. Everything pointed to her, the witness from yesterday. But without further investigation, they couldn't definitively prove it. At least with the rebuttals they _did _prove that Kay couldn't possibly have committed the crime, given the true time frame of the events revealed by the evidence. And finally he heard the verdict that was music to his ears,

"The court finds the defendant _Not Guilty._"

Phoenix Wright left the viewing gallery the moment they were dismissed. That recovery – that attorney alone couldn't have been capable of such a drastic change. Sure, he had pulled a few of those himself, back in the day, but still! Something had happened that he didn't know about. He was sure of it. He walked down the stairs with Maya at his side, but when they reached the hallway, both Kay and Edgeworth were nowhere to be seen, even though they had been one of the first people out. Lucas Desario was busy with a couple of reporters at the end of the hallway.

"You'll still drive me to the train station, right?" Maya asked, and Phoenix nodded. She should have technically been in Kurain a week ago, but she wanted to stay to support Kay. She stayed with Phoenix and Trucy, and since Maya's arrival Trucy seemed to be giving him a lot more alone time than he was used to…

"Sure. I just want to congratulate Kay first."

Maya checked the washrooms and they checked a few other hallways in the building, but neither of them could spot Kay. Eventually Phoenix gave up, and promised Maya that he would congratulate Kay for her later. They left to the parking lot, and Phoenix was unlocking his door when he heard a voice from behind him.

"No, _you_ stop it! You're such an arrogant, asshole, son of a –"

Phoenix's eyebrows furrowed, and he looked up across to Maya, whose worried gaze was focused on something over his shoulder. He turned, spotting Kay shoving a stoic Edgeworth against his car door. Edgeworth stood there, not raising his voice as Kay showed her emotions on her sleeve.

"Innocent until proven guilty, my ass, it's the other way around! I can't believe you made me look like such a jerk out there. Remember what happened to Maggey every time she was accused of murder at her job? They would fire her to avoid scandals. What if that happens to me? Mr. Beretworth was retiring this year, and I was next in line to take his spot. I don't think I've ever been this angry! I should be celebrating, but you- ugh!"

Phoenix watched as Kay slapped Edgeworth hard across the face.

"You're overreacting," Phoenix heard Edgeworth mutter. Both Phoenix and Maya winced, knowing that was the wrong thing to say. As true as it may or may not be, in the middle of venting, no one wanted to hear that. Kay raised her hand as if about to strike again, but then lowered it. She finally spotted Phoenix and Maya in the distance. Kay took one last look at Edgeworth before turning on her heel and walking away.

"Forget it, Edgeworth," she said bitterly as she walked away.

"You want a ride home?" Phoenix asked Kay as she stormed by. Kay shook her head.

"I'm fine. Thanks."

Phoenix glanced at Maya, who was watching Kay go.

"Just leave her," she said gently. "She's just hurt, but she'll come around."

Phoenix nodded and got into the car. Before he even had a chance to turn on his engine, Edgeworth's car pulled out of the lot with a loud screech, and he went speeding down the road.

* * *

They both had a flair for the dramatic, Phoenix realized as he stepped into the elevator. Edgeworth could be dramatic in court, have cheesy lines waiting, but he was quiet. He would make things a bigger deal than they were and take the silent route – such as fleeing to some distant country, something he did far too often. Kay, however, was loud about blowing things out of proportion. Wouldn't she have been more angry with Edgeworth if he hadn't taken the case and tried to do what he could? True, she could have done without the cold accusations from his part during the trial, and as was typical for Edgeworth he took things a tad too far, but what else could he do? He was the prosecutor; the bad guy. It was amazing, the recovery the defense attorney had made after that recess, and without it, Kay might already be in her own prison cell.

Phoenix knew something had happened to trigger that suddenly amazing performance, and he was going to find out what. Getting out of the elevator, he knocked on the door left in front of him. There was a bit of rustling, but soon Edgeworth came to the door. Phoenix fought the sudden urge to cough; he reeked of alcohol.

"Edgeworth?"

"What do you want, Wright?"

Always a cool customer, even when drunk off his ass.

"Just checking up on you. I thought you'd be happy, with Kay going free and all."

"I _am_ happy," Edgeworth said. Phoenix stared at Edgeworth's angry face and shook his head.

"Sure, Edgeworth."

"Is there something I can help you with? If not, I have some business to attend to-"

"Hey!" Phoenix peered over Edgeworth's shoulder to the suitcase lying in the hallway behind him. "What's with the suitcase, huh? You're not going to run _again_, are you?"

"Again?" Edgeworth asked, arching a brow. "What do you mean, again?"

"Oh gee, let's see, when I beat you for the first time, you pretended to commit suicide and fled-"

"I never pretended. The old me _is_ dead."

"Then you left again to study abroad-"

"That wasn't running. That was study."

"And when Kay fell into a coma you left to New York like a coward! You're not seriously leaving again?"

"Not that it's any of your business, Wright, but I'm not leaving. I have no intention of doing so."

"…What? Then what's with the suitcase?"

"It's for Kay," he said quietly. "She wants me to send her things back."

Phoenix blinked, exhaling a breath.

"Wait, so, you two aren't..?"

Edgeworth began to shut the door.

"Go visit Iris, Wright, I'm sure she would enjoy your company far more than I am right now."

"Wait, wait." Phoenix held out something to him, which Edgeworth eyed suspiciously.

"Look. I know what it's like to be hurt. Hell, I lost my attorney badge, remember?" Phoenix smirked. "And I know better than anyone that alcohol doesn't heal hurt. Well, at least not fully. But…" he nudged the door open wider with his gift.

"Take this. I find it helps more." With that, Phoenix waved and retreated back into the elevator. Edgeworth looked down to the bottle in his hand. Sturdy and a dark green colour, it almost looked like a bottle of expensive wine. As Edgeworth held it in his hands, he turned it over to see the label, smiling when he did. Written in beautiful, computerized cursive, were the words:

_Grape Juice_

"Hey, Wright," he said. Phoenix glanced over his shoulder as the elevator doors opened in front of him.

"You ah, you want to come in for a bit?" Edgeworth held up the bottle of grape juice, and Phoenix smirked.

"Sure." Phoenix walked away from the elevator and into the now open apartment, looking around. Just as he had suspected: Edgeworth's desk, neatly covered with various documents, also held a couple bottles of scotch and a glass with melting ice. Edgeworth did a good job of not stumbling and slurring considering the amount of alcohol he had consumed. Phoenix briefly wondered if he even felt anything at this point.

"I don't have any chilled glasses," Edgeworth said, and Phoenix scoffed. As if that mattered. Was Edgeworth the only person who drank juice in a chilled glass anymore?

"A regular glass is fine," Phoenix assured him, looking over his desk, hands in his pocket. The documents, he realized, were from Kay's trial.

"I have to admit, I didn't expect you to pin the crime on her," he said, eyeing the photo attached to the top of one of the documents. Edgeworth poured a glass of grape juice.

"If you saw the detailed analysis of the evidence along with the background checks, you would have come to the same conclusion, I'm sure. I don't think anyone expected her to have any previous interaction with Iris."

"I certainly didn't expect it."

"How is Iris, by the way?"

"Healing," Phoenix said. "A lot better than she was at the beginning of the week. She should be out soon, hopefully." Phoenix squinted at something that caught the light of Edgeworth's desk lamp. A drawer sat slightly open, and something inside was catching and glittering in the light.

"How long did you say you and Kay had been going out?"

"Oh," said Edgeworth, sealing the bottle and placing it in his fridge. "Almost a year?" Phoenix looked up as Edgeworth walked in front of him, shutting the drawer with one hand and handing Phoenix his glass with the other.

"Here."

Phoenix accepted the glass and took a sip, dismissing his curiosity.

"Thanks." He paused as Edgeworth took a seat on the couch. Phoenix sat across from him in the armchair.

"You two were close, huh?"

"Frankly, Wright, I really don't want to talk about it right now."

"All right, that's fair. But I was just wondering, with her attorney-"

"I don't want to talk about the case anymore, either. It would be great if we could just drop the entire subject."

Phoenix thought back to when Edgeworth had so easily dropped the subject of him and Iris. As much as he wanted to pry, he couldn't without Edgeworth emotionally shutting down. Damn.

"All right," Phoenix said, sipping at his juice. Edgeworth glanced at the glass in his hands.

"So what are you going to do now?" asked Phoenix. To his surprise, the prosecutor laughed. But it wasn't a joyful laugh; it was a cold laugh. It was devoid of any true emotion.

"What else is there to do, Wright?" he asked. "It's time to move on."

* * *

Edgeworth was zipping up Kay's suitcase the next day when there was a knock at his door. Kay had specifically told him to simply mail her things out, so he doubted it was her. The two of them hadn't spoken since their argument in the parking lot. Edgeworth hadn't really experienced anything like this before: the want to see someone so badly, yet being unable to… it was nothing short of agonizing. He sighed as he shut the drawer of his desk nearby, concealing the velvet box that Phoenix had seen open the previous night.

"One moment," he called, standing up and brushing the wrinkles from his suit. After he was certain his appearance was acceptable, he opened the door, expression faltering at who he saw there.

"I just wanted to apologize," she said before he could even say anything. "For the other day. I know you must have been under stress, and I didn't help. I didn't mean to aggravate you. You're just such a good guy, and I couldn't help but ask questions." Edgeworth observed Seasons' guilty expression, wondering whether or not it was genuine. Instead of replying to her apology, he crossed his arms and changed the topic.

"I assume your flight is soon?" The large suitcase behind her gave her away. Seasons nodded.

"Yes. I know I should be angry for everything that happened, but…" she shrugged. "You told me once that if someone was innocent, then the truth would be discovered sooner or later, so I should have nothing to worry about. At least they'll try me in my own country. Thanks for standing up for me, by the way, in court. That Desario really knows how to make a comeback - not to mention making a girl look like a criminal."

Edgeworth arched an eyebrow as she chuckled. Clearly he believed she, in fact, was the culprit. He wouldn't have defended her in court if the judge presiding over the case had been more lenient. Alas, in order to keep up the guise that the attorney had made a miraculous recovery all on his own, Edgeworth had to pretend to be shocked at his accusation upon Seasons and defend her. It was not his proudest moment in life. Seasons sighed.

"Look, I'm not here to talk about work," she said. Edgeworth nodded.

"What are you here to talk about then, Ms. Hartleb?"

Seasons bit her lip. This was certainly different from the confident, seductive woman he had gotten to know the past little while.

"Mind if I come in? It won't take much of your time, I promise. I have a cab waiting downstairs anyway." Edgeworth couldn't think of a way to decline without being impolite. Just as he stepped out of the way to let her in, the elevator doors opened, and the two of them turned to see who it was.

"Kay!" Edgeworth's eyes widened as he took a step towards her. For a moment he had seen a look of guilt, or even remorse on her expression, but as her gaze landed on Seasons, it turned into sudden anger.

_Shit._

_

* * *

_

**A/N**: R&R for the next chapter!


	13. Déjà Vu

The Life of a Demon Attorney

**A/N**: Hey guys, I'm sorry it took so long to get this up. I was in a car accident and… ugh. It hasn't been pleasant, and it threw me off of my edge with this fic. Apologies for the tardiness. Anyways, here is the next chapter, the first chapter ever partially written in a hospital. Enjoy! A little into the chapter we will finally have reached just after the time frame of Apollo Justice. :3 Yay I covered all the games. xD

Also, I just got a Twitter account and am trying to figure out how to work it. JeLoveYou, if you want to add me! xD

The usual disclaimer applies.

* * *

Chapter 13: Déjà Vu

Given a couple of days, Kay had grown to acknowledge the possibility that she had overreacted.

Given a couple of days, Kay had even called up Maya and Maggey for girl talk and consultation. They had eased her through her pain, while also bringing to light that perhaps she _had_ been a little harsh on Edgeworth. He was only trying to help her, after all. Sure, he had gone a little far, but that didn't change his goal in trying to find her innocent. So Kay gathered up what courage she had, swallowed her pride, and made her way to Edgeworth's apartment. She would apologize, they would have lots of make-up sex, and—

Kay almost hurled.

The doors of the elevator had opened, revealing the sight of Edgeworth letting Seasons into his apartment. She had spent a moment staring, only snapping back to reality when he said her name. Hell no. She shook her head and slammed her thumb onto the button to shut the elevator doors before he could reach her.

No, she told herself. She _hadn't_ been overreacting. Edgeworth had made her out to look like a criminal, and to add insult to injury, had protected the very woman that had framed her. As if that wasn't bad enough, that _same_ woman was being invited into his apartment. Fine. That was fine with Kay. In fact, Kay had a sudden epiphany. There were people like Seasons out there: people who were dark enough to kill and even try to pin it on someone else. There were even lawyers who tried to defend these people. And Kay wasn't going to stand for it. Seasons had, years ago, been in contact with Dahlia Hawthorne. Dahlia had been under the guise Melissa Foster, a student at Oxford with Seasons. Seasons had been seeing a man, not unlike Edgeworth, who was attractive, on the road to success, and even as a student, wealthy - until Dahlia met him. Dahlia seduced him, managed to have him _leave_ Seasons, and in return for his loyalty, she robbed him of everything he owned before running off to America.

Of course, Seasons had no idea Dahlia had a twin sister. She had thought Dahlia was in disguise, playing her for a fool. The anger in Iris' constant insistence that she was not Dahlia led to Seasons' attack. The stab was shallow, though, and she found that she would have to remove it if she were going to zip up Iris' jacket. So when it was proven in court that Iris actually was _Iris_, and Dahlia was dead, Seasons, as calm as ever, asked for a trial back in the UK. The judge, after some persuasion, agreed.

When Edgeworth came running out of his apartment building, Kay stopped and looked at him. He was breathing hard, taking away from his usual collected demeanor. A light sheen of sweat was on his face.

"Kay," he said. "It's not what you think."

"I know," Kay said quietly. Edgeworth had too much honor to sleep with Seasons when still dating someone else. But that didn't make the sight of her walking into his apartment any less unpleasant. Edgeworth glanced at her. Moments ago he feared for his very life and suddenly Kay was as calm as… well, him.

"Then…" Edgeworth trailed off, trying to figure out what Kay was going to do next. She glanced at him. He spent his life trying to put criminals away; for five years before he met Phoenix Wright he had gone undefeated. How many of those men had actually been innocent?

"I'll see you later, Edgeworth."

Kay offered the tiniest of smiles as she slid into the taxi, shutting the door once she was in. Any other man would have banged on the side of the door and yelled to her. Any other man would fight to have her stay, because she hadn't even given him a chance to explain. Any other man would be furious with how inconclusive their fight had been and tried to solve the issue.

But not Edgeworth.

Kay supposed that was for the best.

* * *

Okay. So _maybe_ Edgeworth had been thinking of proposing.

Maybe he had even had a ring. A ring that was still sitting, lonely, in his desk drawer at home.

But you couldn't exactly propose to a woman who wanted nothing to do with you, let alone a woman he barely remembered. Actually, Edgeworth supposed he could, but such a proposal probably wouldn't warrant a good response.

"Good morning, Prosecutor Edgeworth."

Edgeworth looked up. A woman stood beside him. Her hair was short, stopping just at her shoulders. Her height was on the shorter side, but she looked very presentable in her business suit. She looked familiar – perhaps he had run against her in court before? She had an attorney's badge pinned to her lapel, so it wasn't implausible. Her eyes- he didn't get to see them much; she wouldn't look at him, so he couldn't really find any striking features about her face. He couldn't get a good look at it. Or perhaps he didn't want to.

"Good morning," Edgeworth responded courteously. He looked back down to his cup of tea and took a sip.

"Great job in court," the woman said.

"I lost," Edgeworth reminded her, closing his eyes. Even in defeat he could be condescending.

"Yes, well, he was innocent. It would be worse if you had won, wouldn't it?"

Edgeworth took another look at the woman. He suddenly had a sense of déjà vu; it was like the entire Iris/Dahlia incident all over again. He felt like he had seen this woman before, or someone like her…

"I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name," he said. The woman laughed, shrugging her shoulders. Edgeworth was really beginning to grow frustrated with her attitude.

"I didn't give it," she said. He watched as her gaze flickered to the court doors that had just opened, the new attorney Apollo Justice and a few others walking out.

"Excuse me," said the woman, and she headed into one of the courtrooms. Edgeworth would have called after her, had he known her name. He had a feeling he _should_ know it.

"Edgeworth!"

Edgeworth looked over to Justice and his party, walking up to them with a smirk.

"Congratulations, Justice. It's been a while since I've had opposition like you." He tensed suddenly, his grip on his cup of tea growing tighter as he felt arms wrap around his waist in a hug.

"Mr. Edgeworth! It's been a really, really long time!"

"It has, Trucy," Edgeworth said, managing a small smirk as he awkwardly pat her top hat.

"I was growing tired of Gavin anyway. At least you don't air guitar in the middle of court."

Edgeworth reached a hand out as Trucy released him, and he was met with a strong handshake from none other than Phoenix Wright.

"I don't think it would suit me very much, Wright," he replied. "I had no idea this was the attorney you were mentoring."

"Ah, well, it wouldn't be a surprise if you knew, would it?"

The two old friends smirked at each other, and the defense attorney stood to the side, eye twitching slightly. Apollo had just fought one hard battle against this prosecutor in court, and suddenly the man with the icy glare was friends with Phoenix Wright.

"You two know each other?"

"Of course," said Phoenix cheerfully. "We were in elementary school together for a bit."

"Wow."

"How are you and Iris?" Edgeworth asked Phoenix. Apollo blinked, the name not ringing a bell.

"Who?"

Phoenix quickly shrugged it off.

"Iris is doing well, but she's doing her own thing right now. Same with Maya, but I'm going up to Kurain to visit her this weekend."

"Ah."

The two men glanced at each other.

It had been years since Edgeworth had seen Kay last. In fact, it had been years since he had seen Phoenix Wright last as well. The year was now 2027, and Edgeworth had been going about his usual routine of sleeping, eating, studying, and prosecuting. Apparently 'later' meant 'never' to Kay, for Edgeworth, a day after their confrontation, had tried to contact her, only to find her phone number had been changed, and she had moved somewhere else. He supposed he deserved it – he had done the same thing to her several years back.

"You hear from Seasons at all?" Phoenix asked. Edgeworth shook his head.

"Should I be? She's in prison, after all."

"No, I guess not. What about you and Kay?"

"After her trial," said Edgeworth uncomfortably, "I sort of stopped seeing her." Edgeworth suddenly glanced at Trucy.

"Have you heard from Kay at all, Trucy?"

"Nope," said the young magician. "I went to visit her one day at my old school but she had quit by then."

Edgeworth nodded. He had known this too. Edgeworth was not one to give up a search without covering all of his bases, and after realizing that Kay had quit her job at the school, he knew that he should respect her wishes not to be found. If she wanted to speak to him, she would. It was just hard to shake off the desire to see her again.

He wondered if she had changed much. When he had seen her last, she had looked not much different from her teenage self, making it easy to identify her. Was she different now? He hadn't looked at a photo of her in a long time; like all of his other photographs, they were stashed away in his bookshelf in a random photo album. The image he had of her had faded at this point, and he supposed if he had tried he would have a better memory of her. She had seemed so adamant to not be contacted by him, however, that Edgeworth thought it best if he didn't cling to someone he may never see again.

"Kay?" asked Apollo. Edgeworth glanced at the attorney.

"Yes, she's an old friend of Wright and mine."

"You mean the one who-" Apollo tried to ask, but Phoenix quickly slapped his back with a jovial grin, interrupting him.

"Actually, Edgeworth, we were about to go out for a victory lunch. Care to join us?"

"No thank you, I have some plans at the moment, but we'll keep in touch."

"Sure Edgeworth," said Phoenix. "I'll see you later!"

Edgeworth waved the group goodbye and glanced over his shoulder to the courtroom that woman from earlier had disappeared through. He threw his disposable cup into the nearby garbage can, and headed into the gallery. He could hear the judge talking to the defense attorney and prosecutor, clearly some idle chit-chat before they got down to the serious business.

"I never expected to see you here after everything that happened," the judge said. Edgeworth glanced at the defense attorney, able to get a good look at her from above. An eerie feeling washed over him as he took in her features in more detail than before.

"My father was a hero of justice," said the attorney. "I vowed to be one too, some day. I suppose I'm just a hero in a different way."

The attorney's gaze found Edgeworth's, as if she was aware of his presence. A smile touched the corners of her lips, and suddenly, in spite of everything that he had gone through for the past several years, Edgeworth smiled too.

"Well, good luck to you," said the judge. "This is your debut in court, yes?" The attorney looked away from Edgeworth and nodded. The judge banged his gavel.

"Will the defense and prosecution state their names and opening statements for the record?"

Edgeworth watched as the woman grinned, that look of childish determination on her face.

"Kay Faraday. The defense is ready, Your Honour."

* * *

**A/N**: Sorry for the short chapter guys, I just didn't want to keep you waiting any longer. The end will be soon :3


	14. Just Fine

The Life of a Demon Attorney

**A/N**: I know I shouldn't be making excuses, but I've been really busy in and out of production and recording studios. Here is the next (and final) chapter! I know it's been a long time coming, but I thought people had lost interest and had been considering deleting the entire thing. Thanks to **HowlDemonicMagician** for reminding and convincing me to finish! I know it's not much, but at least it's an ending. It's been great you guys, and "je love you" all! I can't thank you enough for all your support, and I am so grateful to everyone who took the time to read and review.

The usual disclaimer applies.

* * *

Chapter 14: Just Fine

"So did you pass?"

Apollo grinned as his gaze landed on Phoenix and Trucy walking into the hall. Father and daughter were dressed impeccably side by side; it was actually rather unnerving. Apollo was more accustomed to the black sweatpants and blue magician's outfit the two normally sported. It suited them more.

"Pass?" repeated Phoenix. "You mean the bar exam? Ah, that's tomorrow. We'll see how that goes."

"Wait, what time is your exam?" asked Apollo.

"Eight in the morning," Phoenix said with a smirk, making Apollo cry just a little bit inside.

"So you have a bar exam at eight in the morning tomorrow, but you're out here tonight, at a banquet that will last until well past midnight - drinking?"

"Hey," said Phoenix with a grin. "It's not my fault they all decided to have this banquet on a Sunday night. I wasn't going to miss this thing for the world."

It was that magical time of the year again: defense attorneys, prosecutors, judges, officers, and all gathered in the banquet hall of the Gatewater Hotel to celebrate the fast approaching New Years. Edgeworth was able to pull the usual strings and get Phoenix, Trucy, and Maya invited to the dinner. Even Iris and "Lamiroir" were around there somewhere. Phoenix had decided to follow through with his plans to take the bar exam, though he was being a little less than responsible by attending a big event the night before the big test.

"Yeah, I guess it is kind of fun," agreed Apollo, taking a sip of his champagne. "Who knew that people in law knew how to party?"

Phoenix laughed, and sixteen year-old Trucy suddenly waved down Maya, who was deep in the crowd chatting with Gumshoe and Maggey. They all watched as Maya excused herself before hurrying over to them. Phoenix watched her with a fond eye, taking in the purple cocktail dress she wore.

"Hey guys! It's about time you got here!" she said upon arrival.

"They're always late," said Apollo, and both Phoenix and Trucy shrugged casually.

"It's our thing," joked Trucy lightly.

At that moment, Phoenix raised his arm to gesture to some people walking by. A laughing Edgeworth and Kay stopped in their tracks.

"Oh," said Edgeworth, hiding a laugh behind a know-it-all smirk. "Hello."

"Kay!" said Maya, giving the young woman a hug. "It's been so long! You cut your hair!"

"And became a lawyer, but you know, the hair is more important," Kay quipped with a grin. Truth was, she and Edgeworth had fought in court a few times over the past few months leading up to the banquet. They had lost some and won some, but there was no denying that they made a good show. It turned out that years ago, Kay had forgotten about her promise to become a hero of justice like her father, and the entire ordeal with Seasons had reminded her of it. So she packed her suitcase, and got down to business: she finally went to law school to make her father proud.

"Hey," Phoenix whispered, leaning in to Edgeworth. "Are you okay? Are you and Kay comfortable around each other now, or..?"

Edgeworth smirked at his friend's concern.

"Actually... We're just fine, Wright. This entire time I thought she was angry with me, but she just had a goal and followed through with it, no distractions."

"So are you two…?" asked Phoenix, trailing off. Were they dating again? Edgeworth glanced at Kay. Somewhere down the road, she had grown up, and he had missed it because of his foolishness. Edgeworth looked back to his old friend, and offered him telltale smirk.

"We'll see how things go," he said, reaching over and touching Kay's hand.

"Come now Kay, Gumshoe's expecting us to drop by and say hello to Courtney. We'll see them later – we're at the same table as them, after all."

"Right," said Kay, wiggling her fingers in temporary farewell. "Talk to you guys later!"

Phoenix monitored them for a few moments, observing the almost timid contact as Edgeworth gently led Kay by the hand towards the Gumshoe family. For a while, he had worried for everyone: was Edgeworth okay, where was Kay, would Thalassa ever tell her children the truth? Things like that. Try as he did to interfere, to influence what he could and speed up the process, life had its own ideas. Phoenix eventually learned to let go, to let things progress as they may, and here they were, years later. Everyone still had their wounds to heal, but they were on the road to recovery.

As Maya and Trucy engaged in conversation that thoroughly embarrassed Apollo, Phoenix looked away from Edgeworth and Kay to one of the smaller tables nearby. Iris and Thalassa were sitting there, enjoying polite conversation over a couple glasses of wine. Thalassa looked up, and the two of them exchanged a look.

Suddenly Phoenix was confident that everything would be all right.

* * *

**A/N**: And there we have it! The end to this fanfic. I hope you all enjoyed the ride, and I thank everyone that reviewed, subscribed, and read! If you have any questions, concerns, or even fanfic requests, send me a message or add me on twitter (JeLoveYou)!


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